9 school districts seeking levies

Most of the issues were voted down in March, and two were rejected last year.
By DAVID SKOLNICK
VINDICATOR POLITICS WRITER
YOUNGSTOWN -- Nine Mahoning Valley school districts will try their luck again at Tuesday's special election asking residents to dig a little deeper into their pockets.
Voters previously rejected most of the school issues on Tuesday's special-election ballot. In many cases, voters said no to the tax levies earlier this year.
The nine districts are among the 103 school districts with tax levies on the August ballot in Ohio. That is the most in the state during an August special election and is more than in the last four August elections combined, according to the Ohio School Boards Association. Before this election, the previous high for an August election was 70 in 1988, according to the association.
It costs $450 to $550 per voting precinct to have tax proposals on the August ballot.
Jackson-Milton school district officials are optimistic a 2.8-mill renewal levy will do slightly better Tuesday than it did March 2. During the March election, the levy, which raises $383,088 annually, lost by one vote.
A majority of Jackson-Milton school residents live in Mahoning County, where it passed by 26 votes. But the rest of the district's residents live in Trumbull County, where it was rejected 36-9.
Other levies on ballot
Other school levies on Tuesday's ballot rejected in March include:
ULiberty's 7.9-mill new levy for emergency expenses, rejected by 57 percent of voters in March. The five-year levy would raise $1.77 million annually for emergency expenses.
ULaBrae's 3-mill, five-year renewal levy, which lost by less than 100 votes in March. The levy is used to remodel and equip school buildings, and raises $240,467 in tax dollars annually toward that effort.
UJoseph Badger's 5.3-mill, five-year renewal levy for emergency expenses to raise $550,000 annually. The levy lost by 177 votes in March.
*Girard's 6.5-mill, five-year new levy to raise $941,243 annually for current expenses. Girard voters rejected a 7.4-mill new school levy in March by 155 votes. Since then, the district made some cuts, and unionized employees agreed to not receive base-pay salary increases included in previously negotiated contracts, enabling school officials to lower the levy amount.
*Bristol's 6.9-mill, five-year new levy for emergency expenses to raise $500,000 annually. The state put the district in fiscal emergency in October 2003. Only 38 percent of voters voted for a 7.9-mill levy in March. The district reduced the levy proposal by 1 mill for Tuesday's election.
*Lakeview's 7.8-mill, five-year combined new/renewal levy for emergency expense to raise $2,035,245 annually. Only 44 percent of Lakeview voters voted for a 4.5-mill new levy in March. The school board opted to put the tax levy on the August ballot combined with a renewal operating levy that expires at the end of this year.
Rejected in 2003
There are two other school tax proposals in front of Mahoning Valley voters. They are:
*Weathersfield's 5.5-mill, five-year new levy for emergency expenses to raise $538,168 annually. The district is in state fiscal caution status. A 9.5-mill levy and a 1-percent income tax were soundly rejected in 2003 by voters.
*Beaver Local's 6.7-mill, 28-year new bond issue to raise $22 million, and a 0.5-mill, 23-year new levy to raise $100,218 annually, for improving school facilities. Voters rejected a similar proposal on the November 2003 ballot. The money would be the local portion of a $52 million school improvement project, with the rest coming from the state. The district would build new elementary and high schools and remodel the high school into a middle school. The 0.5-mill levy is for the upkeep of the buildings.
skolnick@vindy.com