MAHONING CO. SCHOOLS Wealthy districts seek levies

Canfield, Boardman and Poland residents will vote on school tax issues Tuesday.
VINDICATOR STAFF REPORT
CANFIELD -- It is the best of times and the worst of times for the Canfield School District.
It is a time of academic success. The district met all 27 standards on the 2002 state report card to achieve a rank of excellent.
It's also a time of financial uncertainty. The district is one election away from fiscal emergency.
It collects the lowest revenue per pupil in Mahoning County, even though it has the county's highest annual median income and second-highest average property value per pupil.
Canfield is not alone. Three of the four districts in Mahoning County considered excellent by the state are facing financial difficulties.
The other two -- Poland and Boardman -- also have some of the highest property values per pupil in the county, and Poland collects the second-lowest amount of revenue per pupil.
Each of the three will ask voters to approve five-year operating levies Tuesday.
Canfield is seeking 6.9 mills; Boardman, 5.9; Poland, 3.9.
Financial forecasts
Five-year financial forecasts for the districts show they will be in debt by the end of the 2003-04 school year unless officials make spending cuts or come up with additional revenue.
Every school district in Ohio was required to submit a forecast to the state department of education by Thursday. Districts declared in fiscal emergency by the state auditor's office fall under state control.
The forecasts show that of the 14 school districts in Mahoning County, only Jackson-Milton, Campbell and Lowellville don't expect to be in debt by the end of the 2006-2007 school year. The other 11 districts will be in debt by a total of $87.2 million, according to the forecasts.
Canfield Superintendent Dante Zambrini said the funding figures show how districts can be penalized for their wealth. The state provides less funding for wealthy districts because it feels residents of those districts can afford to pay more for education.
"They continue to tell us to go back to the voters ... your community has the ability to pay," Zambrini said.
When voters don't approve additional tax issues, district officials have to find a way to maintain the quality of their schools, while cutting programs and staff to save money. Districts also have to ask voters for more money every three to five years as the cost of providing an education increases.
Looking ahead
Canfield's five-year forecast projects an $894,693 deficit at the end of this school year without additional revenue. Officials have said if the levy fails, they will cut some busing and charge students for participating in sports and after-school activities.
Zambrini has said decisions on staff cuts wouldn't be made until April. The district's 198 teachers and tutors recently agreed to freeze their base pay for next year. Teachers with less than 14 years of experience will get an annual raise mandated by the state.
Boardman Superintendent Don Dailey is waiting until after Tuesday to consider spending cuts. Without additional revenue, that district is expected to be nearly $1.2 million in debt by the end of the 2003-04 school year.
Zambrini thinks state officials can help districts stay out of fiscal emergency by changing the state's funding system to rely less on local property taxes.
Other school officials echoed Zambrini's comments.
Austintown Superintendent Richard Denamen said to understand the problems caused by the state funding system, "all you have to do is look at the ballot."
XCONTRIBUTORS: Vindicator staff writers Maraline Kubik, John Goodwin Jr., Ian Hill.