Coley, Curtis Leading Group In Support of TCS Property Tax Referendum

TUSCALOOSA, AL — A pair of Tuscaloosa leaders have been tapped to lead Secure The Future Tuscaloosa as the group pushes for support of a city-wide property tax increase to benefit Tuscaloosa City Schools.

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Teacher and former Verner Elementary Principal Beth Curtis and former Chamber of Commerce of West Alabama Board Chair Michele Coley are spearheading the community campaign for the property tax referendum on Sept. 24.

The group says Tuscaloosa City Schools have not seen an increase in ad valorem funding in nearly four decades, despite inflation surging by 187%, while school costs escalated by 272%.

Curtis is a veteran educator who has worked with TCS since 1970 and emphasized the need for additional resources to build on the schools' achievements.

“Our schools have made remarkable progress, but now we must build upon that success,” Curtis said. “With additional funding, we can expand Pre-K, school security, art and music programs, summer learning, and dual enrollment programs. Most importantly, every school, every student, and every district wins when we vote Yes on September 24th.”

The referendum, if approved, would allocate funds to enhance various aspects of the school system. Planned improvements include:

• Universal Pre-K access for all city children.
• Year-round art and music education in every elementary school.
• Full-day summer learning programs for every student.
• Recruitment and retention of high-quality teachers.
• Maintenance of small class sizes.
• Expansion of dual enrollment and career and technical programs.
• Installation of bullet-resistant entrances, security officers and advanced security systems in every school.

Secure The Future Tuscaloosa says the failure of the referendum could lead to significant reductions in school services, along with other possible consequences such as fewer reading interventionists, larger class sizes, decreased access to school nurses, limited security enhancements and cuts to art, music and athletics programs.

“Strong schools create strong communities, and it's time for Tuscaloosa to catch up with other school systems,” Coley said. “The school funding referendum will provide the necessary funding to improve our schools and make Tuscaloosa a more attractive place to live and work.”

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