SCHOOLS We need levy, Niles superintendent says

The levy will help school officials avoid cuts.
By SHERRI L. SHAULIS
VINDICATOR TRUMBULL STAFF
NILES -- City schools Superintendent Rocco D. Adduci knows one way the state could help eliminate a $999,000 deficit the district faces by the end of the school year.
"Eliminate the mandates," he said. "If they do away with open enrollment and if we no longer have to pay for students to attend community schools, then we can meet our financial obligations."
But Adduci realizes the situation will not change. Local districts will still be required to implement unfunded mandates from the state, and the funding situation for Ohio schools will not change anytime soon, despite Supreme Court orders to the Ohio Legislature to do just that.
Even that is OK for Adduci.
"If the state decides it wants to fix the way Ohio schools are funded, they are not going to take money from roads or other departments to fund the schools," he said. "They will raise taxes at the state level, increasing the income tax, or putting a sales tax in place or putting a tax on gas. They will do whatever it takes."
Adduci said he firmly believes the best way for local schools to be funded is at the local level.
It's part of the reasoning behind Niles school officials' decision to place a five-year, 4.8-mill emergency levy on the February special election ballot.
"We are giving the voters a chance," Adduci said.
"They can watch what we do with the money, and if after those five years are up, they don't think we did a good job and spent the money well, then they can vote against renewing it."
About the levy
If approved, the levy would generate $1.3 million in each of the next five years. The tax would be assessed to homeowners, but Adduci noted that a portion of the tax would be footed by the state.
For the owner of a $100,000 home, a 4.8-mill levy would translate into an extra $168 in taxes annually. But, all taxpayers receive a 10-percent and a 2.5-percent rollback on their taxes, which is deducted from the taxpayer's bill.
Those taxes are paid to the school district by the state, not the taxpayers.
With the rollbacks, the homeowner would pay $147 each year for the levy, instead of the $168 figure, he explained.
Adduci also noted that with the emergency levy designed to generate a specific amount throughout the five years, as more homeowners move into the Niles City Schools district, the tax would be distributed among a larger base, meaning the millage would decrease.
"At the end of the five years, it will be below 4.0 mills," he said.
All money from the levy will be used for operations in the district, Adduci noted. The $1.3 million generated each year would help eliminate the looming debt and allow officials to avoid cuts.
"If the public approves this levy, we will maintain status quo," he said. "There won't be any improvements, but we will work to get out of debt."
slshaulis@vindy.com