Youngstown voters to see school renewal levy

By Denise Dick | August 8, 2012 at 12:05a.m.

Youngstown

Without approval of a renewal levy, the city school district will run a several- million-dollar deficit next year.

Voters initially passed the levy, which generates about $5.2 million for the district, in 2008. It expires at the end of this year.

If renewed, it will continue to generate that amount for another four years. School board members passed a resolution at a special meeting Tuesday to place the measure on the November ballot.

The levy originally was on the ballot at 9.5 mills. The millage is expected to increase to 10.4 mills for the renewal because property values in the city have decreased since the 2008 passage — requiring additional millage to generate the same dollars.

Lock P. Beachum Sr., school board president, stressed that the renewal won’t raise taxes.

“This is not something we wanted to do,” he said.

The board originally planned to place a reduced levy on last March’s primary ballot, but that changed when the district learned the amount of state money it would receive was lower than anticipated.

“We’re not expecting to get more money from the state,” Beachum said, adding that contrary to some reports, record-setting sales by the state lottery commission don’t mean increases in funding to schools.

The board president said that once a new treasurer is appointed, which is likely to happen early next month, he wants an audit done of all general-fund departments to determine where the district can save money.

While the district continues to wrestle with financial difficulties, Beachum said there have been improvements academically.

“We’ve made steps toward continuous improvement,” he said, but declined to elaborate.

State report cards are set to be released late this month.

In other business, the board named Brian Rella, a school board accountant, as the interim treasurer. The contract for the previous interim treasurer ran out July 31.

The board is working with a school executive-search firm to find a permanent district treasurer.