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County wants rural school cash restored
Officials appeal for restoration of Forest Fees

Grand Canyon and other Coconino County school districts will be forced to cut teachers or programs if Congress doesn't renew legislation to compensate districts where high concentrations of federal land limit the property tax base.

School and county officials met with a congressionally-appointed study committee last week to discuss the impact the loss of funds would have on education, road maintenance and emergency services and search and rescue.

"Most districts will have to terminate teaching positions because they have funded those positions with the funds," said Grand Canyon School Superintendent Sheila Breen, who attended the Monday, April 30, forum in Flagstaff. "We haven't done that at Grand Canyon. Losing the funds will definitely impact the quality of our programs because we won't have discretionary funds to use for these types of expenditures."

Formerly known as Forest Fees, the annual appropriation to the county is now known as Secure Rural Schools and Community Self-Determination Act of 2000 funding. That act expired with the last payment of $4.08 million to the county this year. Of that, $743,234 went to search and rescue and forest projects and $440,166 went to fund the county school superintendent's office. The remainder, $2.9 million, was divided equally between roads and schools. Grand Canyon's share for fiscal year 2007 was about $45,000.

According to Breen, that money has gone to pay for field trips, costs associated with implementation of International Baccalaureate programs, student leadership training, Discovery trips to reward student behavior and staff appreciation purchases.

Though language reinstating fees was inserted in the latest war spending bill vetoed last week by the president, officials are optimistic.

"That it was in the budget bill was a good sign," Breen said. "Now that that's been vetoed, we need to find another vehicle for it. There seems to be a lot of sympathy."

The issue has been identified as one of the highest priorities by the National Association of Counties.


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