Poland soundly rejects issues for new school

By DENISE DICK

denise_dick@vindy.com

POLAND

Poland voters resoundingly rejected a bond issue and levy for a new kindergarten-through-eighth-grade school.

Youngstown City School District voters, however, approved a 10.7-mill renewal levy for that district.

Voters also approved renewal levies in Austintown, Boardman and Canfield.

Unofficial totals from the Mahoning County Board of Elections show 62 percent against the Poland bond issue and levy with 38 percent in favor.

“We’re sad about the results, but this is how the people voted,” said Lori Mowad who led the levy campaign. “They’ll take the results back and analyze what precincts were for it and which were against.”

She said the school board and Superintendent David Janofa conducted about 30 meetings with members of the public to gather input. Included was what to do with existing school buildings.

Last week, the board announced that the buildings would be razed if voters passed the bond issue. A statement from the board said items of historical significance would be preserved.

The Ohio School Facilities Commission would cover 19 percent of the $35 million cost to build the new school at the site of Dobbins Elementary.

“Obviously, we’re disappointed, but that’s why we went to the voters to tell us what they wanted us to do moving forward,” said Superintendent David Janofa.

The school board has to decide what to do next. The district has 13 months, or two more elections, March and November, before the percentage from the OSFC would decrease.

Janofa said the 119-year-old middle school has the most-significant problems including heat, electric and roof issues.

The 133-year-old Union Elementary is the district’s oldest building.

“We’ll have to do what we need to do to maintain them,” the superintendent said. “That means taking it out of the operating budget. We’d like to have had that to focus on programs for kids on a daily basis.”

Youngstown voters approved the levy that generates about $5.3 million annually with 53 percent in favor and 47 percent against, according to unofficial votes.

There was some concern about the levy’s prospects in light of the Youngstown Plan which will see a chief executive officer appointed to manage and operate the school district.

“It passed and I’m glad it passed because it is about the children and the programs we have and the operation of the district,” said Brenda Kimble, school board president.

She said the district is still fighting the plan in court.

“If we were to win and the levy isn’t there, we’re in trouble,” she said.

Austintown voters OK’d the two levy renewals for those district schools. A five-year, 4.9-mill renewal levy first was approved in 1991 and collected $1,763,752 in calendar year 2015. It was approved with 53 percent of voters in favor and 47 percent against. A five-year, 7.3-mill renewal levy was first passed in 1996 and collected $3,157,297 in calendar year 2015. That levy was OK’d with 52 percent in favor and 48 percent opposed.

Boardman School District voters also approved that district’s two five-year renewals.

The 5.9-mill emergency operating levy that was originally approved in 1996 was approved with 68 percent in favor and 32 percent opposed. It generates $3,905,538 annually. The 6-mill emergency operating levy passed in 1991 and generates $3,274,834 per year. It was OK’d with 66 percent in favor and 34 percent opposed.

Canfield voters approved a 1.6-mill renewal with 60 percent in favor and 40 percent against.