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Delaware Lawmakers Move Education Tax Forward

Sussex Technical High School Logo

DOVER, Del. (AP) - House lawmakers have passed a bill allowing the Sussex Technical School District to temporarily raise tax rates on residents.

The legislation approved Thursday and sent to the Senate is aimed at shoring up the finances of Sussex Technical High School, which has seen enrollment increase sharply in recent years.

Republican House Minority Leader Danny Short says the district has been spending $1 million in cash reserves annually to offset growth-related expenses

The current tax rate is capped at 23.5 cents per $100 of property value. The legislation allows the rate to be increased to 29 cents for 2016 and 30 cents for 2017.

The bill also requires the high school, which currently has about 1,550 students, to reduce enrollment to no more than 1,250 students by the 2017 school year.

Don Rush is the News Director at Delmarva Public Media. An award-winning journalist, Don reports major local issues of the day, from sea level rise, to urban development, to the changing demographics of Delmarva.