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Ohio Senate minority leader to speak Thursday to supporters of a South Range school levy
NORTH LIMA
Ohio Senate Minority Leader Joe Schiavoni said his appearance at a pro-South Range school levy event doesn’t mean he’s taking a position on the tax measure.
“I understand it can be construed that way,” said Schiavoni, D-33rd, of Boardman.
“I’m going to talk about state school funding,” he added. “I’d be happy to go to any of these events, including those who don’t support the levy, to talk to constituents about the problems with school funding.”
Schiavoni, who represents Mahoning and Columbiana counties in the state Senate, will speak at a Citizens for South Range Schools event at 7 p.m. Thursday at the Old South Range High School auditorium on state Route 164.
“State funding has been inadequate at the state level, and that’s why you see more tax levies,” Schiavoni said. “I’m not there to advocate for or against the levy. I’m there just to talk about state funding and how it hurts schools.”
The school district has a 4.9-mill, 3-year additional levy on the May 5 ballot. If approved, it would generate annually $931,838. School officials say the money is needed to offset a projected deficit starting in the 2016-17 school year.
District voters have rejected new tax levies for the schools in November 2013 and November 2014.
Meanwhile, Citizens for South Range Schools submitted a pre-primary campaign finance report to the Mahoning County Board of Elections on Friday, a day after the deadline.
The report shows the group raised no money and spent $165 between Jan. 1 and April 15. The money was spent on food for those volunteering April 23 to call people seeking support for the levy.
It lists $8,297 from the Ohio Education Association as an in-kind contribution for a phone bank.
The Columbus-based OEA represents about 121,000 teachers, faculty members and support staff in Ohio’s public schools, colleges and universities.