Canfield school board will wait till next year to put levy on ballot

CANFIELD -- The school board has decided to wait until next year to ask voters to decide the fate of a 6.9-mill levy that has produced $2.4 million for the schools each year since 1995.
The levy expires at the end of 2004. Schools Business Manager Dennis Kowalski said some district residents had called board members to ask them to wait until after this November's election to place the levy on the ballot.
The board discussed the levy at a special meeting Tuesday.
Kowalski added that the board wanted to wait because less than a year has passed since voters approved the last school levy. A five-year levy was approved in November 2002.
Voters could decide the future of the expiring levy in the March primary election, an August 2004 special election, or the November 2004 general election. The board could ask voters to renew the levy, which would not increase taxes, or replace the levy, which would increase taxes.
Kowalski said the board most likely will decide whether to seek a renewal or replacement levy before the end of this year.
The board also decided to seek applications for a business manager to replace Kowalski, who is set to resign in early August to take a job at Cleveland State University. The board hopes to hire a new business manager before the start of the 2003-04 school year.