WhatsupDoc
Well-known member
Lake has their big levy Vote coming up. They are having another massive ask of I think 9.9 mills again.
Does anyone know exact number?
Does anyone know exact number?
Lake Levy Vote March 19
- Thread starter WhatsupDoc
- Start date
TriangleMan
Hates Particle Man
Source:
www.cantonrep.com
Amy L. Knapp
Massillon Independent
Voters will be asked to approve a five-year, 9.5-mill levy. If approved, collection would begin in 2025 and would generate $6.1 million annually.
It would cost a homeowner $333 per $100,000 evaluation of their home, according to the Stark County Auditor's Office.
The district is facing a more than $3 million deficit. By the end of the district's five-year forecast in 2028, it is looking at a $15 million shortfall without an infusion of money.
"The need is not going away," Superintendent Kevin Tobin said. "Actually, it gets worse."
The district has already made $1 million in cuts, including laying off 13 staff members in June.
Tobin said an additional 10 positions will be eliminated regardless of the outcome of March's vote. They plan to reduce the workforce through attrition, he said, noting seven teachers and one classified staff member are set to retire this school year.
This is the third time voters have been asked to consider the new tax. Last spring, nearly 70% of voters shot down a 13-mill continuous levy. That tax would have generated $8.3 million every year.
After the defeat, Lake officials opted to seek a lower millage and, instead of a continuous levy, proposed a five-year term for the tax.
In November, the district sought a five-year, 9.9-mill levy. Voters again turned down the measure.
"Maybe the third time is the charm," Tobin said. "This is a tough time economically and we get that, but we have to continue to educate our folks."
Based on the state's performance index for the 2022-23 school year, Lake once again topped Stark County schools for the eighth year and the district is in the top 6% of all Ohio school districts.
While Tobin said the district will continue to provide a quality education, the lack of cash is going to make it harder.
If the levy doesn't pass in March, district officials said they will have to make several changes, including reducing the school day to six hours; eliminating music and art in kindergarten through sixth grades; reducing STEAM offerings, high school electives, College Credit Plus and AP classes; and reducing physical education classes and library specials for kindergarten through sixth grade. Instead of having the electives every four days, students would have the class every nine days — the state minimum, Tobin said.
Field trips would be reduced and all non-essential trips would be eliminated.
Busing would be eliminated for high school students and reduced for kindergarten through eighth grade students within a two-mile radius of schools.
There would be no alternative stop pickups or drop-offs, no daycare shuttles and more cluster stops. The run time of bus rides would increase to 60 minutes. On average, Lake students spend no longer than 47 minutes on the ride from school to home, he added.
A $950 per sport fee would be assessed. Now, students pay $250 per sport with a $ 750 cap. There would be no caps under the $950 fee plan.
Club activity fees would continue to be assessed but could be increased. Some clubs and activities could be eliminated.
There would be a reduction in the use of the school buildings and the cost to use the building by outside groups could increase.
Tobin pointed out district taxpayers will be getting a break soon when the $26 million bond issue approved in 1999 drops off the tax books in 2026. The reduction will be about $98 per $100,000 appraised value of a home. The average home value in Lake Local is about $215,000.
"We'll continue to tell our story," Tobin said. "We feel very, very good about what we have done in the last decade. We are tops in Stark. We are a five-star rated school. The high school is a Blue Ribbon School. We are so much more than that. Our community and our people feel good and want to keep it going."
Four Stark County school districts asking voters to approve levies on March primary ballot
Lake, Marlington, Tuslaw and Northwest schools have tax issues on the March 19 ballot.
www.cantonrep.com
Amy L. Knapp
Massillon Independent
Will Lake Local voters approve new money for district's struggling finances?
Lake voters will once again see a referendum for new money on the ballot.Voters will be asked to approve a five-year, 9.5-mill levy. If approved, collection would begin in 2025 and would generate $6.1 million annually.
It would cost a homeowner $333 per $100,000 evaluation of their home, according to the Stark County Auditor's Office.
The district is facing a more than $3 million deficit. By the end of the district's five-year forecast in 2028, it is looking at a $15 million shortfall without an infusion of money.
"The need is not going away," Superintendent Kevin Tobin said. "Actually, it gets worse."
The district has already made $1 million in cuts, including laying off 13 staff members in June.
Tobin said an additional 10 positions will be eliminated regardless of the outcome of March's vote. They plan to reduce the workforce through attrition, he said, noting seven teachers and one classified staff member are set to retire this school year.
This is the third time voters have been asked to consider the new tax. Last spring, nearly 70% of voters shot down a 13-mill continuous levy. That tax would have generated $8.3 million every year.
After the defeat, Lake officials opted to seek a lower millage and, instead of a continuous levy, proposed a five-year term for the tax.
In November, the district sought a five-year, 9.9-mill levy. Voters again turned down the measure.
"Maybe the third time is the charm," Tobin said. "This is a tough time economically and we get that, but we have to continue to educate our folks."
Based on the state's performance index for the 2022-23 school year, Lake once again topped Stark County schools for the eighth year and the district is in the top 6% of all Ohio school districts.
While Tobin said the district will continue to provide a quality education, the lack of cash is going to make it harder.
If the levy doesn't pass in March, district officials said they will have to make several changes, including reducing the school day to six hours; eliminating music and art in kindergarten through sixth grades; reducing STEAM offerings, high school electives, College Credit Plus and AP classes; and reducing physical education classes and library specials for kindergarten through sixth grade. Instead of having the electives every four days, students would have the class every nine days — the state minimum, Tobin said.
Field trips would be reduced and all non-essential trips would be eliminated.
Busing would be eliminated for high school students and reduced for kindergarten through eighth grade students within a two-mile radius of schools.
There would be no alternative stop pickups or drop-offs, no daycare shuttles and more cluster stops. The run time of bus rides would increase to 60 minutes. On average, Lake students spend no longer than 47 minutes on the ride from school to home, he added.
A $950 per sport fee would be assessed. Now, students pay $250 per sport with a $ 750 cap. There would be no caps under the $950 fee plan.
Club activity fees would continue to be assessed but could be increased. Some clubs and activities could be eliminated.
There would be a reduction in the use of the school buildings and the cost to use the building by outside groups could increase.
Tobin pointed out district taxpayers will be getting a break soon when the $26 million bond issue approved in 1999 drops off the tax books in 2026. The reduction will be about $98 per $100,000 appraised value of a home. The average home value in Lake Local is about $215,000.
"We'll continue to tell our story," Tobin said. "We feel very, very good about what we have done in the last decade. We are tops in Stark. We are a five-star rated school. The high school is a Blue Ribbon School. We are so much more than that. Our community and our people feel good and want to keep it going."
carnholio
Land-Grant Holy Land
FTFY
WhatsupDoc
Well-known member
Lake was supposed to go to $950 pay to play in Spring. Then the parents complained so they didn't. Who knows if they really will do it in the fall. They have already shown they will back down if there is pushback.Source:
Four Stark County school districts asking voters to approve levies on March primary ballot
Lake, Marlington, Tuslaw and Northwest schools have tax issues on the March 19 ballot.
Amy L. Knapp
Massillon Independent
Will Lake Local voters approve new money for district's struggling finances?
Lake voters will once again see a referendum for new money on the ballot.
Voters will be asked to approve a five-year, 9.5-mill levy. If approved, collection would begin in 2025 and would generate $6.1 million annually.
It would cost a homeowner $333 per $100,000 evaluation of their home, according to the Stark County Auditor's Office.
The district is facing a more than $3 million deficit. By the end of the district's five-year forecast in 2028, it is looking at a $15 million shortfall without an infusion of money.
"The need is not going away," Superintendent Kevin Tobin said. "Actually, it gets worse."
The district has already made $1 million in cuts, including laying off 13 staff members in June.
Tobin said an additional 10 positions will be eliminated regardless of the outcome of March's vote. They plan to reduce the workforce through attrition, he said, noting seven teachers and one classified staff member are set to retire this school year.
This is the third time voters have been asked to consider the new tax. Last spring, nearly 70% of voters shot down a 13-mill continuous levy. That tax would have generated $8.3 million every year.
After the defeat, Lake officials opted to seek a lower millage and, instead of a continuous levy, proposed a five-year term for the tax.
In November, the district sought a five-year, 9.9-mill levy. Voters again turned down the measure.
"Maybe the third time is the charm," Tobin said. "This is a tough time economically and we get that, but we have to continue to educate our folks."
Based on the state's performance index for the 2022-23 school year, Lake once again topped Stark County schools for the eighth year and the district is in the top 6% of all Ohio school districts.
While Tobin said the district will continue to provide a quality education, the lack of cash is going to make it harder.
If the levy doesn't pass in March, district officials said they will have to make several changes, including reducing the school day to six hours; eliminating music and art in kindergarten through sixth grades; reducing STEAM offerings, high school electives, College Credit Plus and AP classes; and reducing physical education classes and library specials for kindergarten through sixth grade. Instead of having the electives every four days, students would have the class every nine days — the state minimum, Tobin said.
Field trips would be reduced and all non-essential trips would be eliminated.
Busing would be eliminated for high school students and reduced for kindergarten through eighth grade students within a two-mile radius of schools.
There would be no alternative stop pickups or drop-offs, no daycare shuttles and more cluster stops. The run time of bus rides would increase to 60 minutes. On average, Lake students spend no longer than 47 minutes on the ride from school to home, he added.
A $950 per sport fee would be assessed. Now, students pay $250 per sport with a $ 750 cap. There would be no caps under the $950 fee plan.
Club activity fees would continue to be assessed but could be increased. Some clubs and activities could be eliminated.
There would be a reduction in the use of the school buildings and the cost to use the building by outside groups could increase.
Tobin pointed out district taxpayers will be getting a break soon when the $26 million bond issue approved in 1999 drops off the tax books in 2026. The reduction will be about $98 per $100,000 appraised value of a home. The average home value in Lake Local is about $215,000.
"We'll continue to tell our story," Tobin said. "We feel very, very good about what we have done in the last decade. We are tops in Stark. We are a five-star rated school. The high school is a Blue Ribbon School. We are so much more than that. Our community and our people feel good and want to keep it going."
What is unconstitutional about it? Seriously asking
covidsucks
Moderated User
Wow, this sounds like Clinton Massie. They need to pass a levy or their potential program of excellence might be a thing of the past. They've already RIFed the coach. Rural public schools that can't pass levies are the next urban public schools. Really sad Ohio school funding has gotten to this point.
carnholio
Land-Grant Holy Land
DeRolph v. State of Ohio
lightspeed84
Well-known member
I've said this in prior Levy threads- wait till its time for the Gen X and the Millennials to retire a levy will never pass anywhere in the State (outside of Dublin and Hudson type areas), they'll still be paying off their college loans and have no pensions. lol
DeRolph decision...lawmakers sit on their asses. Have billions in " rainy day funds. But won't address a decision of 1991 that ruled funding schools via property taxes was UNCONSTITUTIONAL! School districts again have to fend for themselves and continually go before voters for funding. Support you local schools, and vote out carree politicians who have no interest in obeying the decision. As a 40 year educator and retired senior, I will support the local schools....
We'reAllWashedUp
Active member
There is absolutely no way that the school will institute a fee that high and without a cap. They are basically trying to get rid of athletics at that point. A lot of what the school is saying is likely a scare tactic to get the levy passed. They will make some of those cuts, but typically they release what their doomsday scenario would be with little intention of ever enacting those changes.
smurfyeah19
Well-known member
Our public school funding model is trash because we have way too many high schools. Ohio needs consolidation badly across the board, places like NW Ohio could easily have at least 20 districts absorbed
100% agree. There is also a need to consolidate other government services which would save millions but how dare you say that the school that has the building which is crumbling and has been for 20 years should ever consolidate with the other brand new one down the road even though it would save millions. I went to that school and it was a trash heap then but I'll never go to school with those a-holes from insert name here community.
Pride will stump progress so many times unfortunately.
Sorry, couldnt resist on that one.
My favorite line from DeRolph having extensively been involved in those years was schools were sometimes in such poor condition that they did not meet even the state's minimum standards for a humane prison"
But the legislature has done NOTHING on this matter for 20+ years and probably won't unless we vote them all out OR change the Ohio Constitution to allow orders from the judicial branch to actually have weight on the legislative branch (which we currently dont and hence why the legislature has not been held accountable).
dont forget charter schools as well.
In PA we do not vote on a levy. We vote in school board members and they just raise the property tax when they want. The only control we citizens have is trying to vote for board members who won't raise taxes. I wish I could vote for the levy or not. In my 15 years (moved in 2009) living at my current address, my school taxes are $1800 more now than when I moved in. Some people may say that is fair, others may say it is outrageous, and there may even be people who say that is not enough. I say it is insane to be that much higher.
smurfyeah19
Well-known member
That's why I'm not against our current model. A good example is Northwood schools just south of Toledo. Folks this is all the district is in the very top right portion of this map. Their latest enrollment by the OHSAA for grades 9-11 is 229, while Millbury Lake HS who is 3.3 miles away has a number of 370 & Oregon Clay who is 6.5 miles away is at 833. You're telling me that 70 kids per grade couldn't have been absorbed by those schools? Yet, in 2017 they were built a brand new HS and the community will have to maintain that, along with teacher salaries for decades to come. If these communities are against consolidation, then don't be upset with your higher costs
The main issue with Ohio education funding is with house bill 920 which screws schools on property tax increases. Even if value of a house goes up, schools cannot collect a dime of extra money unless stupid levy is voted on. Creates a system where each district has to beg for money every 3-5 years. Another issue is that the state gutted school funding to rich and upper middle class suburbs to almost zero to balance budget un Kasich. I agree with you that we have way too many districts but everyone cries about local control and wont change unless they go broke. We need county districts but wont happen in our lifetime until the Dublin type districts go broke when voters finally say enough is enough.
Oh I fully agree with your logic. Look at these tiny ones who had to almost be begged to build new. Then they struggle with the maintenance costs. A great example are Covington, Newton, and Bradford in Miami (and part of Darke) counties. All three communities put their feet down in the sand when new buildings were needed and consolidation (along with Milton Union) was even brought up, and all three have new buildings now, many residents unhappy about taxes (once they even GOT the building bond issue passed), and have struggled to maintain costs.
Map brought back some memories for sure. I student taught at Rossford-----last century.
Then you had the Ottoville’s and Fort Jennings of the worlds that were handed brand new schools that were 70% funded by the state in the early 2000s and their enrollment is peanuts. Or Parkway which built a brand new school K-12 that is all one level and was touted as one of the biggest single level school in the state when it was built. Frivolous spending, while any new school being built today is told to go back to the drawing board to cut costs. I thank god that Celina City Schools passed their levy and get mostly new schools and still have lower taxes than our brethren in Coldwater and Maria Stein.
WhatsupDoc
Well-known member
You could be right. They already tried to do it once and there was so much push back from community they ended up not doing it.
BelowTheLine
Well-known member
So here's an interesting thought. Many HS athletes now use their sport as a PE credit to fulfill their requirement for gym. Should you really be able to charge a student for a sport that is for a required credit?
Assuming a free PE course is an option, then sure.
I live in one of those districts. They voted down numerous times the idea of consolidating their elementary schools (with 70% state funding) and then refuse to pass the levy to fund the elementary’s they insist on keeping. One of the elementary schools has enrollment numbers that are less than half of what is was compared to when I moved here 20 some years ago. The district has told them numerous times that they need to either close an elementary or pass a levy … and yet somehow they refuse to do either.
lightspeed84
Well-known member
You can thank state politicians for that, the State of Ohio has basically eliminated the need for a high school P.E teacher, with childhood obesity not being an issue this has been a great idea.
lightspeed84
Well-known member
YOu don't want county districts, that is how the south is ran and its a mess, kids get lost in the shuffle especially transitioning schools and the schools/districts are so big kids just get lost and passed along. County administrative positions are created and these people literally do nothing. Elected School boards were useless because of the layers of personnel and administrative b.s