E-mail 
E-mail Home > Blogs > Get on the Bus > Archives > 2011 > November > 10 > Entry
Districts with failed levies face millions in cuts to busing, staff
Colleague Marc Katz and I had this report in today’s paper.
It’s not much solace to those who lost levies Tuesday, but the Dayton region fared slightly better than districts statewide that asked for new money.
The 37 percent success rate for districts seeking additional money in Montgomery, Greene, Warren and Miami counties compares to a 23 percent statewide passage rate.
Continuing a pattern, voters tended to approve renewal levies while rejecting a majority of new money requests. Forty-two of 44 renewals passed across the state, including all five in the Dayton area — in Kettering, Jefferson Twp., Milton-Union, Tipp City and at the Greene County Career Center.
The mood was much different in the 10 area districts that fell short, however, and officials in those districts are considering millions of dollars in cuts.
Beavercreek, Xenia, Huber Heights, Trotwood-Madison, Mad River Local, West Carrollton and Vandalia-Butler all had new money requests go down to defeat.
Vandalia-Butler’s school board met Wednesday night to discuss how to make an expected $7 million in cuts during the next two years while Huber Heights and Mad River boards meet tonight. Mad River Local expects to go back on the ballot in the spring, while Huber Heights is unsure which way to turn.
“We’ve had an income tax (on the ballot last May) and a property tax both fail,” Huber Heights Superintendent William Kirby said. “So we’ve tried it both ways.”
Kirby said he needs to chop $4 million to $5 million from his budget.
Trotwood-Madison City Schools will also will go back to the cutting board, having lost a levy battle with the public for the sixth straight time despite trimming its levy request from 7.5 mills to 4.
That tactic — asking for less money — may have helped Lebanon City Schools, where voters approved a 3.78-mill levy by 129 votes after a May defeat of a larger issue.
A pro-levy campaign organization tried to bring the issue home to voters by publishing the names of 98 employees whose jobs would have been eliminated if the issue failed.
Superintendent Mark North said programs facing cuts included art, music and physical education for grades K-6. While grateful that the levy passed, North said the budget is still tight. “We cannot add programs or services,” he said.
Northridge also came up a big winner when its 6.95-mill levy was approved by more than 61 percent of the voters.
“We kind of took a different approach,” Northridge Superintendent Dave Jackson said. “We committed doing a door-to-door campaign. We made it to approximately 5,000 homes. I went every evening and every weekend.”
Northridge also sent a flier to homes last week warning that if school consolidation comes, Northridge schools would disappear into either Dayton, Mad River, Huber Heights or Vandalia districts, which would extract even more tax money.
“Our community of Northridge really doesn’t exist without the schools, because there’s no city of Northridge or township of Northridge,” Jackson said. “I think everyone here is proud to be Northridge, and we’re protective of that.”
After having a bond issue to build new schools rejected in 2002, Northmont City Schools returned to the voters Tuesday, although with a much-scaled-down request. Superintendent Sarah Zatik thanked taxpayers for their support, which will help the district build a new high school and a pre-K-1 building. While the state is supplying $35 million for the project, Northmont had to come up with nearly $60 million to complete it.
“We’re different because it was not an operating issue,” Zatik said. “It’s for something that’s very tangible; something the community can see and feel.”
Miami Valley Career Technology Center Superintendent John Boggess said the defeat of its 2.18-mill replacement levy by just 230 votes caught him by surprise. The school board will decide whether to get back on the ballot next March.
“Financially, we really don’t have any choice,” he said. The district has reduced more than 30 positions through attrition during the past four years and made nearly $3 million in cuts.
“We’ll probably have to match those numbers over the course of the next year or two to survive,” he said.
Boggess said the levy passed in six of its eight counties, the exceptions being Montgomery and Warren counties. Although the vocational center may have been hurt by an anti-tax sentiment, Boggess said he is confident of a different result in the spring.
“If we can concentrate our message to our positive yes-voters, which was way over 50,000 … I think we’ll get the vote that we need,” he said.
Permalink | Comments (5) | Post your comment | Categories: Election 2011
Tweet
Comments
By No to ALL levies
November 11, 2011 7:15 AM | Link to this
It’s apparent that the schools still don’t get. The unions spent millions on their brain-washing tactics to get what they wanted. Now they may find out the serious reality of the situation. The schools/board/and unions will not change until forced to do so. If you vote yes for any levy you are a fool. That will become very clear in the next 12 to 24 months.
By Justasking
November 11, 2011 6:09 AM | Link to this
Just wait until the Results of SB-5 being Rejected Kick in,These Firefighter’s, Teachers and Unions will have to cope with Layoff’s.The State has to pay 66 million of Taxpayers money for Benefits/Pensions to the so called Public Employees.So when that Money stops and it will because that’s the next step all the lying about your Grandchildren dying and Hundreds of Falsehoods Perpetrated On Ohio Taxpayers will be their downfall. This was not a victory and Time will be your demise.
By TJ
November 11, 2011 12:00 AM | Link to this
How stupid can people be? They kill Senate Bill 5 and then vote down nearly 75% of the school levies across the state. The collective bargaining process does not work when the employer side is broke. People need to get it through their thick skulls - the state of Ohio is broke and the school districts are broke. Gov. Kasich assumed a state budget that was over 8 billion dollars in the hole (Thanks Strickland - Thanks Unions) Kasich has already stated that no bailout is coming from the state. Congratulations to all of the foolish young teachers, policeman, nurses and firemen - the union tricked you into voting yourself out of a job When unions win - the people lose Romney / Cain 2012 & 2016
By Voted No
November 10, 2011 7:55 PM | Link to this
Wake up school boards because you need to do more with less like the rest of us have to do every day. I have read a quote from a very respected economic scholar that says “If you approve a school levy increase you’re a sucker”. For the school boards will come back every few years wanting more. Well, I’m no sucker and I will continue to vote no in Beavercreek. I don’t even want to hear the lame story about our property values will go down either or that people will not want to relocate here. Cut the staff and trim the unecesary crap. Do we really need to learn chinese in K12…I think not!
By Scott
November 10, 2011 3:44 PM | Link to this
I think it is great that Northmont will finally get a new high school, but why is it going to take them 3 1/2 years to build it