10 levies before voters again

Youngstown city schools struggle to overcome a
$15 million deficit.

By HAROLD GWIN

VINDICATOR EDUCATION WRITER

YOUNGSTOWN — No doesn’t always mean no.

In fact, when it comes to tax levies for school and government programs, a “no” by voters at the ballot in one election sometimes is interpreted as “maybe,” as the issue frequently shows up again at the next election.

That scenario is playing out 10 times across Mahoning, Trumbull and Columbiana counties in Tuesday’s elections. Ten levies rejected in November, ranging from a 9.5-mill tax proposal for the Youngstown city schools to a 1.25-mill emergency services levy in Liberty Township, are before voters again.

The Youngstown schools, struggling to recover from a $15 million budget deficit, has already had voters turn down the 9.5-mill, five-year levy — twice. A state fiscal oversight commission has directed the district to put the issue up for a vote again, saying Youngstown can’t return to solvency without new revenue.

The school board is trying to put a face on the levy request this time by incorporating pupils in the campaign to win voter support, said Shelley Murray, school board president.

One of the most visible was Ammie-Marie Littke, an East High School student who is a student member of the school board.

She got the opportunity to seek support for the levy during a presidential campaign stop at Chaney High School by U.S. Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton.

Littke urged voters to vote yes, asking them not to think of the school administration when they enter the voting booth, but to remember her face as a representative of children in the district seeking a good education.

The district has also been working on more cuts to reduce spending.

“Obviously, that’s been the largest concern in the community — have we done enough?” Murray said.

The district has already cut about $19 million in spending and announced plans last week to trim another $7 million in the next school year, which begins July 1.

The district is focused on positive things happening in the schools, Murray said, citing double-digit gains in the graduation rate and significant improvement in academic performance on state standardized tests.

Also, for the first time, the levy appears to have the backing of city officials, which shows a united front, Murray said.

Scott Schulick, vice president with Butler Wick Trust Co., is serving as chairman of the levy support committee and said his group is trying to stress the importance of supporting the education system.

“Rebuilding Values and Value” is the theme, he said, explaining that, by approving the levy, people will create value for their own property by helping to support a strong, financially sound school system.

School district voters haven’t approved a tax levy since 1987, Schulick said.

This levy would produce $5.2 million a year in new revenue.

Voters in the Springfield Local School District are being asked again to OK a 7.3-mill combination tax levy/bond issue.

A breakdown shows a 4.8-mill, 28-year bond issue to raise $10.6 million for school construction, a 0.5-mill , 23-year levy to raise $69,000 a year to maintain facilities and a 2-mill, 28-year bond use to raise $4.6 million for remodeling and refurnishing school buildings.

Edward Sobnosky, district treasurer, explaining how the district is trying to persuade voters to support the funding requests this time, said: “We have a lot more home visits.”

Last time, the district just asked for the money and didn’t have a very organized campaign, he said. Now, the district has tried to educate people by mailing information to taxpayers’ homes.

The plan is to close the elementary and high school, replace the high school and expand the current middle school to house kindergarten through the sixth grade, Sobnosky said.

It’s approximately a $35 million project.

Voters are being advised by the district this time that, should they choose to keep the three existing buildings, it would cost about $10 million to refurbish the old high school and elementary, and the district would have to pay 100 percent of the expense for improvements that would last about 10 years.

Under the new building scenario, the state would cover about $20 million of the cost, Sobnosky said.

Various levy support committees are hard at work trying to secure passage of repeat ballot issues in Trumbull County.

Those issues include emergency service levies in Bazetta and Liberty townships as well as school levies in Jackson-Milton, Joseph Badger, Lordstown and Southington.

Both townships and most schools are using committees to help get the word out to voters.

Officials in Liberty and Bazetta said the margin by which their emergency services levies failed was small enough to warrant a second attempt. Officials in Liberty also said many voters said the wording on the last ballot was too confusing.

Bazetta Township Trustee Michael Piros said a committee put out mailings to all township residents explaining the need for their 2-mill, five-year levy for fire protection services.

The committee also planned four open public forums to address any questions the public might have had.

Piros acknowledges that most voters are faced with increasing costs, and income that may be stagnant but said voters determine what fire protection the township can provide. “We will provide that based on the money they give us,” he said.

Liberty Township Police Chief Anthony Slifka said a committee has been helping to get the township’s 1.25 mill, five-year operating levy for 911 emergency services passed.

He said one major concern is the wording of the issue.

“The wording on the ballot has been changed drastically so voters know exactly what they are voting for,” he said. “The way it was worded on the ballot before was really confusing.”

Slifka said the committee also printed 40 large signs and 300 small signs to be placed around the township, and there was a plan to send mailings to voters to explain how the funds will be used.

John Zinger, treasurer of Jackson-Milton schools, said a committee in that district worked on several measures to get voters to the polls to support the levy. The district is again asking for a 5.6-mill, five-year levy to avoid an operating deficit of $988,485.

“A lot more people are on board helping to get this passed, and they are trying to get more people registered to vote,” he said. “There is an urgency to this now because this is one of the last chances to get this passed before we start losing money.”

Zinger said the knowledge that the district will lose about half a million dollars next school year if the levy is not passed should bring supporters to the polls.

Bill Pfahler, Lordstown schools superintendent, said basic knowledge is also a big part of the effort to bring voters to the polls. He said the district would use the 5-mill, continuing levy to update one building and close another.

“We are trying to do some of the things we did before to educate people on how we can save money by closing one of our buildings,” he said, noting that closing one building would ultimately save the district about $200,000 annually.

Frank Danso, Southington schools superintendent, said a committee is working to get out more information about two levies that failed last fall, a 3.15-mill, three-year renewal and a 1-mill, five-year levy (2 mills sought last fall) the district is requesting for permanent improvements.

The levies were originally passed in the 1980s. Danso said the 2-mill proposal last year was reduced to 1 mill this time after the district determined it could live within that budget.

Voters in the Joseph Badger schools are being asked again to approve a 3.75, five-year operating levy renewal that generates about $425,000 annually.

Superintendent David Bair said a group of five Badger pupils, guided by two adults, put together a campaign to get the levy passed this time, organizing a voter registration drive, printing a parent newsletter and district flier and putting up yard signs. They also spoke to booster and PTO groups.

The Columbiana County Career & Technical Center is again seeking a 1-mill, 5-year permanent improvement levy to raise $864,096 annually to repair the 30-year-old building.

Superintendent Edna Anderson said that, last year, a newsletter was sent to everyone in the district and a number of signs were put up.

After the defeat, she said, some people thought the district was seeking an operating levy.

Information has been sent out again this year, but the district changed its approach. Signs have been placed at strategic locations, including entrances and exits of the local schools that have students who go to the career center, and in-depth information on how the money would be spent is on the center’s Web site.

The center has even placed an ad in a local publication to explain the issue and planned an open house to provide information on why it is needed.

XContributors: Staff writers John Goodwin and D.A. Wilkinson

gwin@vindy.com