School is cancelled next tuesday on November 12th due to the voting taking place in Graves. The votes will decide whether or not the Graves residents will or will or will not be taxed extra. The extra taxes will help the schools with improvements needed. “The Graves County Board of Education voted to raise taxes on real property in August from 37.5 cents per $100 of real property valuation to 44.4 cents, citing needed infrastructure repair, renovation, and/or replacement, especially the 60-year-old building of Lowes Elementary School and the heating/ventilation/air conditioning system of Graves County High School. The HVAC is nearly 30 years old, past its warranty, and could stop working completely at any time.” says Paul Schaumburg, Graves County Schools Community Relations Director.

Some reasons stated for the taxes are:

• Graves County High School is nearly 30 years old and in need of repairs and maintenance, including major replacements on the Heating/Ventilation/Air Conditioning System.
• Lowes Elementary School’s building is 60 years old and in need of major renovation or replacement.
• The Graves County School District’s property tax rate is the very lowest in the Jackson Purchase and the ninth lowest in Kentucky.
• The proposed, new tax rate still will be the second lowest in the Jackson Purchase and among the lowest 20 percent in Kentucky.