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Third time not charm for levy
(by Joseph Koziol Jr. - August 10, 2012)
Third time not charm for levy
By JOSEPH KOZIOL JR.
For the third time in two years, Chardon School District voters have said no to additional money for the schools.
According to Tuesday’s unofficial election results by the Geauga County Board of Elections, 1,889 votes were cast in favor of the 5.95-mill continuing levy and 2,845 vost cast against it.
The district was unsuccessful in attempts to pass a 4.29-mill, five-year levy in November 2010 and May 2011.
School Superintendent Joseph Bergant II said the Chardon Board of Education was planning a meeting for Wednesday to return the measure to the November ballot.
“We have no other choice,” he said. “We are going to go into further deficit.”
The 5.95 mills would have provided the district with approximately $3.7 million annually and cost the property owner $182.22 per $100,000 in valuation.
“We were optimistic this time,” Mr. Bergant said. “We thought Jamie Ward and the campaign committee had run a good campaign.”
The district attempted to contain costs and reduce expenses, he said, and made $1.3 million in cuts last year. Teachers also made concessions, agreeing to wage freezes and increased contributions to their health plans.
Music, art, physical education and library programs were among the casualties of those cuts and, last year, the district laid off the equivalent of eight teachers. Costs for supplies and materials were cut by 18 percent.
The district had planned, if voters approved the levy, to restore six teaching positions and business, technology and art courses, as well as increase electives at the middle school.
Instead, Mr. Bergant said, the district will be forced to cut its curriculum further unless new monies can be approved by voters. He indicated that another $750,000 in cuts will have to be made by the end of the year. Those cuts will be announced at the board’s August meeting.
In July, Mr. Bergant said pay-to-play fees, now $225, likely will be doubled. In addition, cuts likely will be made in the areas of guidence, support staff, custodial, transportation, tutoring and clerical.
“We’ll just continue to contain costs and make cuts and hope for the best,” he said.
The district has been in a cost-cutting mode since 2006, eliminating $5 million in expenses.
The district also has continued to see support from the state shrink. It was receiving $6 million from the state in 2006, the last time voters approved additional money. Today, the district receives about $5.2 million annually.
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