Failure of school tax issues reflect voter dissatisfaction

Failure of school tax issues reflect voter dissatisfaction

We can appreciate the aversion many taxpayers have to giving more of their hard-earned dollars to government, what with the national economy flirting with a recession, but we are hard-pressed to come up with an explanation for their refusal to renew taxes already on the books.

This is especially true with public education, which in Ohio is largely financed by revenue from local property taxes. Granted, the Ohio Supreme Court has deemed this system of funding to be unconstitutional, but the Republican controlled General Assembly has chosen not to come up with a mechanism that would pass constitutional muster.

As a result, local school districts are at the mercy of the voters. And election after election has shown that it’s a roll of the dice.

In Tuesday’s primary election, Boardman, Jackson-Milton, Poland and South Range school districts had renewal issues, but only Boardman and Poland had reason to celebrate.

The saving grace was that in Jackson-Milton and South Range, the margin of defeat for each issue was 32 votes.

In this era of voter cynicism and tax exhaustion, school officials have reason to be encouraged.

On the other hand, the Springfield School District must come to terms with the fact that residents still aren’t convinced that the construction of a new school, the maintenance of facilities and the remodeling and refurnishing of school buildings are priorities.

Personal-touch campaign

Even the personal-touch campaign by proponents of the tax levy/bond issue — more home visits and detailed explanations for why the additional revenue is needed — failed to sway a majority of the voters.

It’s obvious district officials must go back to the drawing board.

In Trumbull County, Girard, Bristol, Joseph Badger, Liberty, Maplewood, Southington and Weathersfield school districts sought renewal of levies. There were sighs of relief in Girard, Bristol, Joseph Badger, Liberty, Maplewood and Weathersfield.

Additional taxes were sought in Newton Falls, Lakeview and Lordstown, but voters weren’t in a giving mood.

The most significant loss was suffered by the Youngstown City School District, which was the subject of an editorial Friday.

After each election, we try to make sense of what the taxpayers are saying in rejecting requests from school systems for money to operate.

They know, or should know, that in Ohio, property taxes will remain the main funding source so long as state senators and representatives continue to hide in the political weeds. Taxpayers also know, or should know, that cutting operating costs to the bone undermines the academic viability of a district.

Yet, when the subject of school district consolidation is raised, as it has been by the Regional Chamber, the reaction from residents is predictable: Don’t touch mine.

So what should be done? If some taxpayer has a credible answer, we’d certainly like to hear it.