Don't be alarmed by the special school tax referendum on the Nov. 7 ballot.

The tax which voters must decide whether to approve, or not approve, is one that was ratified in 1957, and has been approved by Butler County voters every ten years since then.

We urge voters to approve the measure, again. The tax is a 10 mil tax for the Butler County public schools. It is the

whole of the local operating budget of Butler County public schools, and is equivalent to one percent of assessed property value. Ratified in 1957, Amendment 131 to the Alabama Constitution permits the tax, but requires that it be approved by voters every ten years.

Although the current approval runs through the school year that ends September 2002, swift approval of the measure will reduce the cost of getting the tax passed, and allow school leaders to focus on the more productive matters of education. Voter approval simply means our schools have a source for operating funds through September 2012. Non-approval means another election, and uncertainty about the future funding of our school system.