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Next Chardon school levy under discussion
(by Joseph Koziol Jr. - June 15, 2011)
Next Chardon school levy under discussion
By JOSEPH KOZIOL JR.
Chardon Board of Education is seeking to decide whether its next levy should meet the needs of the district or be more affordable for the public.
The board opened discussions last week on whether it will go to the ballot again in November and how much the levy amount should be. The board reached no conclusions but agreed to meet again in early July.
The district has seen three straight defeats at the ballot in the past two years. An attempt at a 1 percent earned income tax in May 2010 was defeated by a 71 percent margin. The following November, a 4.29-mill, five-year levy was defeated by a 62 percent margin. And this past May, another five-year 4.29-mill levy was defeated by 58 percent of the voters.
"I heard what the voters said the last several times -- they said no," board member Paul Stefanko said. "If we asked for 4.29 mills in November, I'm pretty sure they're going to tell us the same thing."
Mr. Stefanko said the district may do better seeking a smaller amount this time around and has suggested a 2-mill levy.
But other board members said asking for less may come back to haunt the district.
Board member Cindy Sague said asking for the smaller amount may leave the district wanting for needed dollars, forcing it to make more cuts. She said that could anger those who support the levy and then see cuts made anyway.
School board President Debbie Seenarine-Wilson said going too low with a dollar amount likely means the district will be returning to the voters in two years, rather than five. "I don't like that," she said. "I don't think it's a healthy thing for the district to do."
The district, which has been in a cutting mode for six years, is expecting more difficult times with cuts proposed now by the Ohio Legislature.
Mr. Stefanko said Monday the state has now promised to provide the district with $17 for each student, amounting to about $54,000 annually. "They took away 17 percent of our funding and gave us $54,000," he said. "They took our mortgage money and gave us a cup of coffee."
When district Treasurer Stephanie Swain said that $54,000 could be taken away by the state, Mr. Stefanko replied, "No coffee."
Mrs. Swain presented the board with possible funding from the state, although she said that could change before legislators approve the final version and have it signed by the governor.
She said a Ohio Senate version now being debated does reinstate some money, which makes the district rest a little easier. Based on the latest numbers from the state, the district will be able to finish the next three years in the black with ending balances of $903,000, $910,000 and $318,000.
But Mrs. Swain said costs for items such as food and fuel are rising and will impact those projections. She said anyone who has been to the store to buy coffee knows the high cost of items now.
Board member Larry Reiter said the district also faces a great unknown in those costs. While district employees have agreed to a two-year wage freeze, he said, those employees will be "pounding on our door," seeking a raise. "If we don't plan for it now, all heck's going to break loose," he said.
School Superintendent Joseph Bergant II said the most important thing is that all five board members support whatever levy the district decides to place on the ballot. The board has been split over the last two levy attempts.
He said, if the district is successful in passing a levy, some programs may be restored, such as art or business classes at the high school.
He said he would favor a 4.29-mill levy but wants the board's full support for it.
Mr. Bergant also informed the board of recent changes in the bus schedule, which will allow the district to save another $120,000 to $170,000 annually. The change involved saving 15 minutes a day in busing schedules, he said. The money saved, he said, can provide for another three teachers.
While the district has been cutting over the past six years, it has done all it can to save the programs and teachers, Mr. Bergant said. He called it a "double sword" because most of the cost-cutting has been done out of the sight of the public, making them believe the district has not changed.
He said if all parents who are registered voters had voted in the last election and voted in the affirmative, the district likely would have passed the levy.
Seeking additional revenues may involve looking at open enrollment for the school, despite opposition expressed by the public, Mr. Bergant said. The state provides $5,700 for each open enrollment student, as opposed to the $2,800 the state provides for other students. He said home building in Hambden, which had been projected to provide additional students to the district, has now fallen flat due to the economy.
Ellen Ondrey, the district's publicist, said the latest campaign had just started to gain traction, but ran out of time. She said the district should not let up the effort and continue to promote it.
She said it was "unsettling" when campaign workers heard Gov. John Kasich remark that no voter in Ohio needs to vote for any school levy. "To paint us with a broad brush really hurt us," she said.
Mr. Stefanko said during a talk with a neighbor, the neighbor remarked, "Would you rather have a whole loaf of bread, or a half of a loaf?"
He said continuing to try for the whole loaf will likely leave the district with none. Then, he said, the district will have to seek higher levy amounts just to catch up.
He said the district should try the smaller amount and try to contain costs to stretch it over five years.
Mr. Stefanko said while he appreciates the sacrifices the staff has made, the public is doing the same thing, possibly seeing no raises for two or three years.
Mr. Reiter said spending is not the issue, because the board has done a good job controlling costs. "We have a revenue problem," he said.
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