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Half of area’s school districts seeking levies
Voters sent an unequivocal message to area school districts last spring when all eight districts that sought new money had their tax issues rejected.
This fall, several districts are trying a different strategy — from dramatically scaling back the amount of money requested, to knocking on more doors and, in the case of Lebanon schools, publishing the names of 98 people whose jobs are on the line.
Issue 2 may be taking up much of the spotlight, but Tuesday’s election ballot is dominated by local issues and candidates, including funding requests from 21 area school districts. That’s half the districts in a four-county area; all but five of those requests are for new money.
Cuts in state funding are driving many districts, including Beavercreek City Schools, back to the voters. The Greene County district was hit with a 28 percent cut in state aid, which means $6.46 million less over the next two years.
“That just compounded the issue,” said Superintendent Nick Verhoff, whose district’s $8.3 million operating deficit has been growing along with its booming enrollment.
Republican legislators said they tried to balance cuts to local districts by passing Senate Bill 5, the controversial collective bargaining law that became the basis for the Issue 2 referendum. But school officials say they are facing a double-whammy: less state aid and less property tax revenue due to depressed housing values and home foreclosures.
“We thought we were making headway and we took two steps back,” Huber Heights City Schools Superintendent William Kirby said of the district’s $4 million cut in state aid. It wiped out the $3 million in cuts the district made before this school year.
The district’s 8-mill levy would generate $5.6 million annually. The district hasn’t had new operating revenue in six years and, without it, faces a $2.5 million deficit in 2013.
Huber Heights is getting ready to open its fifth new elementary school next month. “Here we are going into brand new schools but we don’t have money to operate the district,” Kirby said. Kirby has spotted some yard signs urging voters to “vote no” on the levy, but he’s also sensing a more positive vibe this time than last May when voters defeated a 1.5 percent earned income tax request by a 5-to-1 ratio. He hopes it will be enough.
“It’s can you get those people to the polls that you know will support your schools to outweigh the organized opposition?” he said.
Trotwood In Trotwood, school district officials cut the levy request nearly in half, returning to voters with a 4-mill additional levy after a 7.5-mill levy was narrowly defeated in the spring election. Trotwood-Madison City Schools Superintendent Rexann Wagner said she’s “cautiously confident” this time because she believes school officials have communicated well with the public.
“The economic situation in Trotwood has not changed significantly since May,” she said, “but I do believe our community is saying the school district has listened to us and lowered the millage.”
The district also saved $3 million by closing two $10 million elementary schools due to declining enrollment and financial woes.
District staff and parents have blanketed the community in recent weeks walking door to door to make sure voters know it’s a smaller levy — and warn what could happen if it doesn’t pass. Wagner said so far the district has maintained all-day kindergarten, advanced placement classes, a dual offering of foreign language, busing for high school students and extra curricular activities, but a sixth straight levy defeat Tuesday could change that.
“The further this goes in terms of not getting revenue into the budget, those kinds of decisions now are going to be on the table,” she said.
Lebanon Like Trotwood-Madison, Lebanon City Schools also has returned with a smaller tax request than the one that failed in May.
The Warren County district already cut $3.5 million from the budget this summer but is still $3 million short of what it needs to keep the current level of services. Lebanon Superintendent Mark North said if the 3.78-mill operating levy fails Tuesday, the result would be “devastating” and would lead to major cuts, including eliminating approximately 100 positions.
Also on the chopping block: art, music and physical education classes for kindergarten through sixth grades and high school ROTC. Pay-to-participate fees also would increase.
The tax levy has organized opposition. When a pro-levy organization, Citizens for Quality Lebanon Schools, published the names of 98 people whose jobs will be eliminated if voters reject the issue, an anti-levy group responded with its own ad, blasting what it called “scare tactics.”
“I think that’s reprehensible to list those names outright,” said Sandra Tugrul, treasurer for lebanonschoolfacts.com, a group whose website questions expenses made by the district.
North defended the release, saying, “It’s not a strategy. It’s being honest.”
District staff took base pay and step pay freezes for three years, according to North, but Tungrul said the district still spends too much.
“I do not believe they are using the money they have efficiently,” she said.
Northmont At Northmont City Schools, school officials are working to convince voters to approve a $54.9 million bond issue to help build a new high school and an early childhood development center for all district kindergartners and first-graders.
The district stands to receive $35 million from the Ohio School Facilities Commission to cover 47 percent of the project cost. But before that can happen, voters must approve the 5.9-mill bond issue and permanent improvement levy. Voters will cast one vote for the issue, which also includes 1.7 mills that would generate $1.1 million annually for permanent improvements.
Superintendent Sarah Zatik said given the economic conditions there couldn’t be a worse time to be going to the voters. But, she said, the district has little choice. “We have a renewal issue on the ballot next year,” she said, “so this is really our time to get it passed.”
Beavercreek Beavercreek’s Verhoff said his district is facing a “perfect storm” of rising costs on top of the $6.46 million state funding cut, booming enrollment and eight years without new operating money.
The district, he said, faces an $8.3 million operating deficit. The 6.7-mill emergency levy on the ballot would raise an estimated $10.95 million annually.
After voters rejected a 9.9-mill levy in May, Verhoff said the district came back with a smaller levy.
The district also imposed a 2 percent pay cut, increased the amount of insurance premiums and co-pays employees must pick up and added $7 million in permanent reductions during the next three years.
The new levy would have 1.5 mills going to operate the district’s two new schools, 2 mills to make up for the loss in state funding, and 3.2 mills to maintain existing educational programs and services, Verhoff said.
School officials say a levy failure would result in having to make $2 million more in cuts, affecting more than 60 positions — 35 certified and 25 classified support staff. Cuts also would affect busing, tutoring, gifted services, libraries and custodial services.
“The bottom line is we can’t cut our way out of this,” he said.
Permalink | Comments (1) | Post your comment | Categories: Election 2011
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By ohiodale
November 7, 2011 11:08 AM | Link to this
I will never vote yes on another levy after SB5 fails. Although many firefighters, teachers and police already pay 15% for HC and 10% towards their pensions many do not. As soon as the economy gets better these unions can stike pay less.