7 school districts in Valley deserve renewal of levies

Judging by Republican Gov. Mike DeWine’s two-year budget proposal, there’s no end in sight for this state’s flawed and unconstitutional school-funding system.

The governor’s blueprint for education spending over the next two years keeps funding levels stagnant for public districts (though it increases school-choice allocations by 45 percent).

Though the Ohio House of Representatives is reviewing sweeping reforms of that funding system, they’re unlikely to bear much fruit in the short term.

That’s why the hodgepodge of property, income, additional and renewal levies for public school districts on Ohio primary ballot next week remain critical issues for voters to think through thoroughly before casting their votes.

In Mahoning and Trumbull counties, 10 school districts of about 35 seek voters’ support this election cycle. In most cases, superintendents and other school leaders know better by now than to take such support for granted.

As the Ohio School Boards Association has reported, the rate of school levy passage decreased from 73 percent in November 2017 to only 69 percent in November 2018. Even renewal levies are falling to defeat by voters.

That’s why it’s necessary for school leaders to mount informative campaigns on the need for local tax revenue in the face of rising educational costs and falling or stagnant support from state government.

Nowhere is that need more critical than in Niles, where the school district is operating under state-mandated fiscal emergency. Should the 5.6-mill renewal levy fail, the district’s finances and learning environment would surely suffer more.

In general, The Vindicator traditionally has supported school levy renewals. Those endorsements stem from the fact that property owners are already paying the tax and districts would be hard- pressed to find revenue to fill the sudden and sometimes drastic reductions without forfeiting academic quality.

Strong schools, after all, equal strong communities.

On the other hand, we do not take a position on tax-levy increases for schools, such as those in the West Branch, Brookfield and Newton Falls districts in this primary election, which are seeking increased taxation to support school operations.

Here, then, are the renewal levies for school districts in the Mahoning Valley this election cycle that The Vindicator urges voters to approve:

CAMPBELL CITY SCHOOLS: A 16.3-mill, 5-year renewal for emergency requirements.

SPRINGFIELD LOCAL SCHOOLS: A 1-percent, 5-year renewal income tax for current expenses.

LIBERTY SCHOOLS: A 0.9-mill, 5-year renewal levy for general permanent improvements.

MATHEWS SCHOOLS: A 9.25-mill, 5-year renewal levy for current expenses.

MCDONALD SCHOOLS: A 4.3-mill, 5-year renewal levy for permanent improvements.

NILES CITY SCHOOLS: A 5.6-mill, 10-year renewal levy for emergency requirements.

WEATHERSFIELD SCHOOLS: A 3.65-mill, 10-year renewal for emergency requirements.