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Canfield board places 6.8-mill levy on ballot
By Elise Franco
Canfield
A 6.8-mill operating levy that will generate $3.8 million will appear on the November ballot to raise money for the Canfield School District.
The board of education voted unanimously during Wednesday’s meeting to approve placing the levy on the fall ballot.
Superintendent Dante Zambrini said the decision to ask residents to approve the district’s first new levy in eight years was made only after the district had exhausted all other options.
“I don’t believe you’ll find another group of administrators who care so much about [proper] spending,” he said. “We take pride in what we have here, and every dollar is spent wisely.”
Zambrini said the last new operating levy, passed in 2002, was supposed to last only three years, but the district stretched the money an additional five years. That levy raised about $3.1 million for the district.
This new levy would cost the owner of a $100,000 home about $17.35 more per month and the owner of a $200,000 home about $34.71 more, he said.
“We don’t like to raise taxes,” he said. “I live in the community, too, so when the taxes go up, so does my property tax.”
District Treasurer Patricia Kesner said a new levy is the only way to avoid deficit spending over the next several years.
“We’re in deficit-spending at this point, and it’s time,” she said.
Zambrini cited what he and the board said are several proactive measures to avoid this levy for as long as possible.
He said the district spends about $8,300 per student each year. The state average is more than $10,000.
Canfield is grouped by the state with 19 other districts similar in size and economics, such as Poland, Aurora and North Canton, Zambrini said. The average amount spent per student among those other schools is about $9,300.
Zambrini said the district also has seen significant savings since 2002 with the elimination of several administrative positions, such as curriculum director, assistant superintendent and curriculum council, and with the decision to leave a high-school principal post vacant.
“I would say when you total all of that up, we’ve saved at least $400,000,” he said.
The superintendent said he, Kenser and business manager Richard Archer would be willing to sit down with any voter who has questions or concerns about the ballot issue.