Youngstown school district faces uphill battle with levy

The fourth time may be the charm for the Youngstown City School District levy — if an independent financial advisory committee is able to do what others have previously failed to: Convince voters that the operating budget has been cut to the bone and that only an infusion of new revenue will help erase the $18 million in red ink.

That’s a tall order by any measure. Indeed, the defeat of the levy in March came despite a direct appeal for approval from members of the state fiscal oversight commission that has been in charge of the district’s budget since fiscal emergency was declared.

Even the contention of the chairman of the commission that the district cannot cut its way to fiscal solvency failed to sway a majority of the voters. The issue failed, 52-48 percent.

So, why would the independent financial advisory committee be any more successful than school district officials, members of the school board, a citizens committee and the oversight commission?

We’re not predicting that it would, but we do know that failure would be disastrous for the school system. It would mean that nothing could be said to sway voters in the district to provide additional operating revenue.

Special elections

Indeed, the defeat of school levies in Tuesday’s special election in the suburban districts of Leetonia, Springfield, Jackson-Milton, Lordstown and Southington does not bode well for the school levies that will appear on the Nov. 4 general election ballot. Special elections usually bring out the yes votes. The across-the-board defeats indicate a deep-seated voter antipathy toward taxes.

But the independent financial advisory committee that has been formed by the Youngstown city school district may be able to win over the tax foes if there is full disclosure of the district’s spending.

This is necessary to respond to critics who say that taxpayers will never be told the truth by the keepers of the public purse.

Of the six members, three are from the community and three serve on the board of education. We would suggest that the community members take the lead, given the credibility problem plaguing the school board and the administration.

Taxpayers must be told everything, from the identities and salaries of the central office staff — and how they got their jobs — to the list of all the employees on the payroll. There can be no secrets and no sacred cows.

In the past we have suggested that such information be placed on the school district’s Web site to provide easy access. Including spending comparisons with similar school districts would go a long way toward dispelling the belief of many that the Youngstown system spends more than the average on payroll.

Although the idea for this committee was broached about two years ago by board member Lock Beachum, a former principal of East High School, it is only now getting launched. That means members have just three months to independently analyze the budget and to make recommendations for new spending priorities.

Let us be clear: The status quo will not do.