Saturday, October 20, 2012
Boardman schools go for additional levy
BOARDMAN
Supporters of an additional levy for Boardman schools say the money is necessary to maintain the district’s academic excellence.
The district has been ranked excellent in state report cards 11 times in 13 years, a distinction recognized this week with the release of state report cards.
On the Nov. 6 ballot, voters will see a 3.9-mill, three-year additional emergency operating levy that will generate $3,178,231 annually. The levy will cost the owner of a $100,000 home $119.44 each year.
The school district’s general fund budget is about $38 million.
Putting a levy on the ballot “was not an easy decision for the board to make,” said Superintendent Frank Lazzeri.
“They are very aware of society and the local community,” he said.
Several parents who are part of the Friends of Boardman Schools levy committee said they support the additional levy because school officials have proven good stewards of taxpayer money.
“This is to maintain what we have,” said committee member Jeff Barone, noting a new school levy was last approved in 2003.
Although expenditures for the district have remained at about the same level since 2006, revenue has dropped, Lazzeri said.
Read more in Sunday’s Vindicator