School levies: Voters lean against Centerville, Franklin taxes in early results
Mar. 19—Voters in multiple school districts, including Centerville and Franklin schools, were rejecting proposed school levies Tuesday, according to the first early voting results from county board of election offices.
Centerville voters were rejecting the proposed tax levy meant for operating expenses by a vote of 53% no to 47% yes.
Early voters in the Franklin school district were rejecting the levy by a ratio of 73% no to 27% yes. The levy was meant for operating expenses.
Greeneview schools voters were rejecting the proposed bond issue meant to build new schools by a 63-37 ratio in early voting.
Warren County Career Center, another of the districts asking for money to build new facilities, was one of the few districts were voters were leaning toward approval. In early voting results, 50.3% of voters had said yes, while about 49.7% voted no.
Tipp City, another district asking for new facility money, saw early voters lean towards yes, with 52% of votes cast for yes and 48% of votes for no.
School operating levies
Operating levies pay for schools' day-to-day costs, which can include school materials, utilities and more, but are heavily focused on salary and benefits for the many educators, bus drivers and other staff at the heart of schools' mission.
Centerville schools voters in November solidly rejected a levy that would have increased taxes, by a 57-43 vote ratio. Now the district is seeking a 3.9-mill, $11.2 million levy that would cost an extra $136.50 per year for each $100,000 of home value. Centerville has already committed to $1.27 million in budget cuts. Because Centerville is a wealthier district, it gets less state funding. Recent community meetings have seen mixed comments on whether the district should get new tax funding or reallocate what it already gets.
In Franklin, the school district has been deficit-spending, and their cash balance (about 10% of a year's expenses) is one of the lowest in the Dayton region. Now Franklin Schools are seeking a five-year, $3.615 million school levy in the March 19 election that would cost a homeowner about $220 in additional taxes per year on a $100,000 home. Treasurer Kevin Hawley said it has been 10 years since the district last asked for a new "additional" school levy for operations.
Milton-Union school voters are deciding on a complex income tax increase, rather than all the property tax levies so far. The ballot issue is a permanent, 1% earned income tax for school operations, but if passed, residents' actual tax bump would be 0.5% because the new levy would be paired with a decrease in a separate facilities-focused levy.
School construction bonds
Tipp City's bond issue would pay to replace their three elementary schools and one middle school with a single new building for preschool to eighth grade. But even though they would get state funding help if voters approve, the bond issue would still cost a homeowner $304 for each $100,000 of appraised property value. Voters rejected a Tipp City schools bond issue in 2019 by a 53-47 ratio.
The Warren Career Center hopes to build a secondary campus at their main site to increase capacity and programming, similar to what career tech centers in Montgomery and Greene counties have done in the past few years. Because the project would get state support and draw tax funding from a much broader area if approved, the cost would be $28 per year per $100,000 of property value. Voters rejected a similar measure in November by a narrow margin.
Greeneview schools near Jamestown are also asking voters to reconsider a bond and tax levy for school construction after they soundly rejected a measure in November (63-37). The $33 million project would include $11 million from state and federal sources if voters approve the local share. The current middle school would be renovated and expanded and become the elementary school. A new academic wing for grades 5-8 would be added to the current high school building. And an athletic field house and outdoor practice fields would be constructed. The cost to a resident would be 3.99 mills, or $140 per $100,000 of property value, for 37 years.
