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Youngstown school district voters will see levy renewal
By Denise Dick
YOUNGSTOWN
City school district voters will be asked in November to renew a levy that generates about $5.3 million annually for the schools.
The city school board approved a resolution 6-1 Tuesday to submit the tax levy to voters. Board member Jackie Adair was opposed.
“All data indicates Youngs-town is shrinking,” she said. “The property-tax base is shrinking. A small part of the community will pay this. Not even everyone on this board will have to pay this property tax.”
The resolution approved Tuesday will be submitted to the Mahoning County Auditor’s Office, which will determine the millage. The school board then will vote on a second resolution to submit the renewal to the county elections board to place it on the November ballot. That resolution is expected to come before the board at its May 26 meeting.
The four-year levy, first passed in 2008 and renewed in 2012, expires next year.
District Treasurer James Reinhard said it’s critical that the levy be renewed.
“Our five-year forecast shows that with renewal of the levy, we have a balanced budget, and without it, we do not,” he said.
Although the district plans to trim $2 million from the budget, the levy money is needed. Without it, the district will lose more than $20 million over four years, Reinhard said.
In other business, board members recognized Cindy Johnson, who was selected 2015 Teacher of the Year for the district. Johnson, a sixth-grade teacher at Discovery at Kirkmere, was chosen from 15 teachers nominated for the award from throughout the district.
“She will represent us in the state competition,” said Timothy Filipovich, executive director of curriculum.
He said all of the district’s nominees expressed in interviews that when students succeed, it makes them happy.
“It’s all about the children, and we’re very lucky to have them at Youngstown City Schools,” Filipovich said.
The district’s other nominees were Tara Amill of Chaney, Kathy Barth of Harding Elementary, Katherine Buonavolonta of McGuffey Elementary, Stephanie Greco of Williamson Elementary, Dena Esmail of Discovery at Volney, Leslee Green of Martin Luther King Elementary, Justin Kosek of Programs of Promise at Wilson, Kristy Olinik of Choffin Career and Technical Center, Tracy Pinter of Discovery at East, Kathy Jo Santisi of Rayen Early College Middle School, Rhonda Taylor of East High School, Diana Vrabel of Taft Elementary, Cheryl Wlodarski of Paul C. Bunn Elementary and Holly DeBernardo of Youngstown Early College.
Filipovich said the teachers were nominated by their principals and must submit an essay and their resumes. They are observed in classroom visits as well.
“Each and every one of them could have been the teacher of the year,” Filipovich said.