Border wars in Menan Buttes

MADISON COUNTY - Residents living in the Menan-Butte area want out of the Jefferson School District Boundaries. Most already send their kids to Madison schools, but their tax dollars still go to Jefferson.

The County line between Madison and Jefferson goes right through some home owner driveways. But the school boundary puts the area in Jefferson. A group of concerned residents have put together a petition to make the annexation official.

Jennifer South's children attend Burton Elementary. In fact 48 out of 56 kids in the Menan Buttes go to Madison County Schools, despite being in the Jefferson School boundary.

"So each year we have to fill out a petition, an out of district waiver, even though we are Madison County residents," said Jennifer South.

What spurned a petition in the community to annex the Menan Buttes into Madison County School District was the financial crisis.

"There was a busing situation at the beginning of the year because of budget costs. So they cut out our midday kindergarten bus," said Jennifer South.

Everything north of the Snake River in the Menan Butte area is what qualifies as that annexation proposal. Now most of the kids that are in this area already attend Madison County schools. So they're questioning why send their taxes to Jefferson?

"We're Madison County residents. We want our tax dollars following the schools that our children attend. Because we're Madison County residents and want our children to attend Madison County schools, that's where our tax dollars should go," said Jennifer South.

Jefferson Superintendent Ron Tolman doesn't want to lose those tax dollars because it would increase property taxes in his district by a small margin. The Madison School District on the other hand likes the idea, and taxes would go down slightly for their district.

"We're for it, we live in Madison County. We would like our children to attend Madison County schools," said Margo South.

The petition has already been approved with Madison's School Board. So from here an attorney is taking it to the State Board, and if the state approves it, it will be put up for a vote.

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News & Politics

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• menan
• buttes
• jefferson
• madison
• border
• wars
• school