TERRE HAUTE, Ind. – Vigo County School Superintendent Rob Haworth was invited to Thursday nights Terre Haute city council meeting to talk about the issues the schools are facing. He told what those problems are,  what they need to help fix them and how the referendum asking for a property tax hike that will appear on Novembers ballot will accomplish that.

Haworth out lined what the extra $7 million annually would go for:

$260,000 would go toward health costs, like nurses. Something the school has doubled since 2015.

$588,000 would go toward counselors. The school has increased counselors by 40% since 2014.

$300,000 would go toward behavior interventionists. Those in this position help children develop social skills, improve learning in school and help with negative or disruptive behavior. VCSC has added 18 of these since 2015.

$3 million of the referendum would cover teacher compensation. This will help the school become more appealing to teachers around the state and country who are looking for jobs. Haworth said their starting salary isn’t competitive and they don’t recognize service which is why they’re losing teachers.

$1.4 million would go towards safety. The corporation has beefed up its security and added Student Protection Officers in every school.

Another $1 million of the referendum would go toward transportation. Because of tax caps, the schools have had to subsidize its transportation costs.  The Corporation getting conducting an audit on their transportation to help get more efficient routes

Haworth said if the corporation continues its current track, they could see their finances go in the red by January of 2021.

He said that is something that they cannot allow to happen.

Haworth said that community meetings are being planned to explain the issues and referendum.