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Struthers school board approves tax levy renewal for November ballot
By SARAH LEHR
STRUTHERS
The Struthers Board of Education voted Thursday to put a 6.9-mill, five-year general operating renewal levy on the Nov. 3 ballot.
The levy, which is identical to the one voters approved in 2011, would tax 69 cents for every $100 of valuation beginning in 2016.
The levy would bring in $956,000 into the district every year, Superintendent Joseph Nohra said.
“This levy is necessary to maintain the academic integrity of our schools,” Nohra said.
In other business, the board discussed plans to replace the scoreboard at Struthers Middle School. The current scor board often experiences technical problems and is positioned in a way that makes it difficult for students to see it, Nohra said.
The district will auction off the old board and install a new LED board in a more-visible location for between $8,000 and $11,000, Nohra said.
The superintendent said the district hopes to install the new board before school starts late next month.
The board agreed to allow the district to enter into a $5,000 contract with Meridian Community Care. The money will go to drug-abuse and violence-prevention presentations in kindergarten through sixth grade.
Nohra also announced the district received a $7,370 Brain Power grant from Mahoning Valley Hospital Foundation. Brain Power, a program approved by the National Institute of Drug Abuse, teaches students in kindergarten through ninth grade about the negative effects of addiction on the brain and body.
Additionally, the board approved a service contract for Daniel Aldish as school resource officer for the 2015-16 school year. Aldish, a Struthers police officer, will receive $22 per hour for no more than 360 hours.