Sixty-nine percent of school tax issues approved Tuesday

5/7/2014
NORWALK REFLECTOR, OHIO

Voters across Ohio approved 102 of 148 school tax issues during the May 6 primary election.

“It is still an uphill battle to secure voter approval for new or additional money requests,” said Ohio School Boards Association (OSBA) Director of Legislative Services Damon Asbury. “But districts are most likely to be supported when asking for existing levies to be renewed or replaced.”

Sixty-nine percent of school tax issues were approved by voters on Tuesday, a rate fairly consistent with previous years. Ohio voters approved 82 of 137 school tax issues in May 2013, a passage rate of 60%.

Twenty-seven of 65 new school tax issues were approved on Tuesday, a passage rate of a little over 40%. Voters approved 75 of 83 renewal school tax issues on the ballot, a 90% passage rate.

Norwalk and Willard both passed school levies Tuesday.

“School districts continue to struggle with getting voters to approve new money,” said OSBA Executive Director Richard Lewis. “But the high success rate on renewal levies signals a vote of confidence from communities and attests to the great job Ohio public schools are doing under challenging economic conditions.”

Faced with funding challenges, declining revenues and a difficult economy, many school districts are being forced to turn more and more to their local communities for support. The more than 30% of Ohio schools that were unsuccessful on the ballot Tuesday will likely be forced to make difficult budget decisions, including new rounds of cuts.

Election results are complete, but have not been officially certified by the Ohio secretary of state. Several issues may need to go through a recount, so their outcome could change. OSBA maintains a comprehensive online database on the outcome of school tax issues across the state. To access it, visit http://links.ohioschoolboards.or....

In its 59th year, OSBA leads the way to educational excellence by serving Ohio’s public school board members and the diverse districts they represent through superior service, unwavering advocacy and creative solutions.