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Parents voice school levy concerns at forum
School administrators fielded questions from more than 125 people at the first of four public forums regarding the Canfield Schools levy.
Board President Brian Kesner announced at the board’s Monday night session phase two of cuts totaling $1.3 million should the May levy fail.
They include reductions of 12 teachers and 15 classified staff, state minimum busing with a half-mile between bus stops for kindergartners through eighth-graders, pay-to-participate for extracurricular activities, fees for band and choir students and no marching band performances at away football games.
“It’s a very emotional time for everyone,” Kesner said. “The onus is upon us as a community to decide what kind of district we want.”
Parents voiced support for the schools, but concern about how the money is being used.
Doug Crogan, a parent of two students, asked for more transparency on the part of the district when it comes to explaining how certain projects are funded and prioritized. “I moved to Canfield for one reason: for the schools,” he said, “so I don’t mind investing the money.”
Another parent, Juanita Coggins, said she worried about how her family could afford the tax increase. “I have kids in the district, so I support it 100 percent, but like I said, it’s going to be like squeezing blood out of a turnip,” she said.
The district is asking for a 6.8-mill operating levy that would bring in $3.8 million annually, for five years, along with the renewal of a 1.6-mill emergency renewal levy that would sustain the district through fiscal year 2015.
Levies of the same millage failed in November. Questions and answers from Monday’s forum will be posted on the levy website at www.canfieldlevy.info. The three remaining forums will be at 7 p.m. next Tuesday in the high school cafeteria; 7 p.m. April 5 in the Canfield Village Middle School main gym; and 7 p.m. April 11 in the Hilltop Elementary School multipurpose room.