Youngstown school officials rethink district financial needs

Youngstown school officials rethink district financial needs

YOUNGSTOWN

The board of education met Friday to remove a levy request from the March 6 ballot, after learning this week that state funding for Youngstown City Schools will drop by $4 million.

The district learned that state funding will drop from $80 million to $76 million because of the head count of students that took place in October, which school board President Lock Beachum Sr. said showed a drop of about 200 students more than anticipated.

Beachum said the district expected a drop, but $4 million was about $2 million more than anticipated.

The levy would have renewed the four-year, 9.5-mill levy approved by voters four years ago, but it would have reduced the amount of money it generates from $5.3 million to $3.5 million per year. The new levy would have been for four more years. The current levy expires at the end of this year.

Beachum said it’s possible that a different type of levy will be placed on the ballot in November instead.

Bill Johnson, Youngstown City Schools treasurer, called the news of the $4 million reduction a “shock” and said the state didn’t notify the district directly.

Read more in Saturday’s Vindicator and vindy.com