Trumbull school tax issues merit voters' consideration

The last thing most school board members and school administrators want to do is ask voters -- members of their own communities -- to approve tax levies, especially additional levies.
Every time a levy is placed on the ballot, board members, superintendents and other administrators commit to working on campaigns, asking residents for support and subjecting themselves to questions -- sometimes harsh -- at public meetings, or just during a trip to the local grocery store.
Knowing that, The Vindicator has traditionally supported the requests of local school boards, and does so this primary election, even while realizing that times are changing and that voters are demanding more accountability from elected officials.
In Trumbull County, there are two additional tax levies and one replacement issue on local school district ballots. There are also four renewal issues.
The superintendents of the districts seeking additional funding discussed the importance of these issues to their districts in telephone interviews.
Champion
The Champion Local School District is seeking a 5.2-mill, five-year emergency levy, which would be the district's the first additional operating increase in 12 years.
Superintendent Pam Hood notes that the district has been rated excellent by the state three years, the most of any Trumbull County district since state ratings went into effect. The school district has managed to control costs while maintaining its excellent rating, but it cannot do so indefinitely without some additional revenue.
The levy on the May 2 ballot would produce about $945,000 a year and would cost the owner of a home with a market value of $100,000 about $159 additional per year.
Teachers, administrators or nonteaching employees have taken a wage freeze for this school year. If the levy is not approved, the district has developed a plan to institute a pay-to-play policy for student sports, and personnel cuts designed to minimize the impact on the district's excellent rating and on student safety, including busing.
Hood points out that the district would be able to balance the budget this year, but would have no carry-over balance. Next year, the district would face a shortfall of an estimated $800,000, which would require far more painful cuts.
Approval of Champion's levy request next month would assure continuing excellence, which benefits both the students and the community.
Maplewood
The Maplewood Local School District is seeking a 5.5-mill, five-year emergency additional levy.
Interim Superintendent Ruth Zitnik, who is also carrying the duties of high school principal, notes that this would be the first additional operating income approved by the district in 16 years. A 6.9-mill request was rejected by voters in November. The board responded with a number of economies and reduced the request.
Maplewood has 1,100 pupils spread over a wide area and Zitnik said the board has avoided cutting bus service to the students because of the safety factor, especially on rural highways.
The school district was placed in fiscal caution by the Ohio Department of Education, and after last fall's levy failure, it worked on a recovery plan with the help of the community, the board, school administrators, teachers and other employees. A local engineer has helped the district cut its utility costs, teachers and administrators took wage freezes, four teaching positions are being eliminated and students face pay-to-play assessments.
The levy on the May 2 ballot would generate about $500,000 toward a total budget of $8 million. Failure could lead to state oversight, which would eventually mean reducing all programs, including pupil transportation, to state minimums.
Zitnik said the board has been careful not to threaten residents with looming cuts, but is obliged to look at what would have to be cut and how it would affect the schools and the community.
McDonald
The McDonald Local School District is seeking passage of a 4.5-mill permanent improvement levy, which would replace a 2.5-mill improvement levy.
Superintendent Michael Wasser says the levy would produce about $250,000 a year, which would allow the school district to maintain the new and renovated school buildings financed through the state facilities commission and would provide money for facilities not covered by the state.
The request was reduced by about 10 percent from an issue narrowly rejected by voters in November. Income from the levy would finance $2.4 million in improvements, as well as provide about $70,000 a year for maintenance.
A new football stadium and sod field would cost $1.1 million. A six-lane all-weather track, which would be open to the public for walking and jogging, would cost $325,000. The high school gymnasium would also be renovated and new bleachers installed that would be handicap-accessible. The levy would also pay for a new bus garage, repair of parking lots, installation of security lights and improvement of practice fields.
Renewals
Districts seeking renewal levies are:
Howland Local School District, a 1-mill, five-year permanent improvement renewal to finance necessary maintenance and repairs of buildings.
Hubbard Exempted Village School District, a 5.5-mill, five-year emergency renewal.
Liberty Local School District, 3.1-mill, five-year emergency renewal.
Warren City School District, 4.25-mill, five-year emergency renewal.