Some local school levies were successful, while others failed to gain support
Seven local school districts in Southwest Ohio either put a levy, income tax, or bond issue on the ballot in this year's election. In past years , districts have struggled to gain support from voters to bring additional money into schools to cover the rising cost of public education.
Several districts said they needed to pass levies to stay afloat and avoid deficit spending. For some, teaching positions and educational opportunities depended heavily on what voters decided at the ballot box.
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Out of the seven school measures on area ballots, three passed while the other four failed to capture support from their communities.
Mt. Healthy City SchoolsMt. Healthy City School's levy would have generated $1.5 million annually. After a rough year filled with financial turmoil, Mt. Healthy voters rejected the levy proposed by the school board earlier this summer.
Ohio State Auditor Keith Faber placed the district in a state of fiscal emergency in April because of its projected $10.8 million budget deficit. Faber says the deficit was largely caused by accounting errors by Mt. Healthy's former long-time treasurer, who didn't utilize the proper financial forecasting software. The errors caused district leaders to believe the school system had more money than it did. They decided to use that money along with COVID-19 federal pandemic relief funding to hire teachers and pay for several construction projects without, it turned out, the necessary funding to maintain those additions.
Since the deficit was discovered, the school board and a state commission have been working to make reductions, including cutting more than 80 teaching positions to get the district's finances back in order.
The $1.5 million levy wouldn't have eliminated Mt. Healthy's deficit, but leaders say it could've prevented the district from potentially eliminating even more school resources as it attempts to balance its budget.
Mariemont City SchoolsVoters in the Mariemont City School District approved an operating levy expected to generate $3.1 million annually to fund day-to-day operations and existing educational programs.
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With the levy's passage, Mariemont Schools will avoid making $1.2 million in reductions for the 2025-2026 school year. The cuts would have included eliminating teaching positions and classroom aides in elementary schools; pay freezes for staff; a reduction in electives for elementary students; fewer STEM and art programs at junior and senior high schools; and increased fees.
Princeton City SchoolsPrinceton's levy — which was set to bring in a total of $10.6 million into the district to cover its current operating costs — was denied by voters. Supporters of the additional levy inflation could force the school system into deficit spending, leading to potential staff cuts, program cuts, and larger class sizes.
Wyoming City SchoolsWyoming City School's bond issue to fund its new primary facilities master plan was overwhelmingly approved by 70% voters.
Under the plan, the district would build three elementary school buildings on the sites where its existing elementary school buildings now stand. The bond issue will generate $72.5 million for the project.
Wyoming Board of Education Vice President Kara Broderick says while the project may appear ambitious and will take some time, Wyoming's current elementary buildings are outdated and pressed for space.
"Our buildings at the primary level are 70 years old," Broderick told WVXU. "They're not meeting the needs. They're not doing that."
District leaders have shared early concept drawings with the school community and will soon begin working on more solid plans for the new buildings. Construction on the first school is slated to start in 2026 and all three schools are scheduled to be completed and ready to open by early 2029.
Monroe Local SchoolsVoters passed Monroe Local Schools' 3.4-mill bond issue to address overcrowding by constructing a separate high school and updating its other school buildings. The district can combine local funds with more than $25 million from the Ohio Facilities Construction Commission for the project.
Superintendent J. Robert Buskirk says overcrowding has been an issue for years. Over the past two decades, the number of students has nearly doubled from 1,515 in 2004 to more than 2,900 students today.
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The district passed a bond issue in 2001 to construct its current elementary and high school buildings, but Monroe says due to its growing student body, more classroom space is needed. Since the 2001 bond issue is still being paid off, the district will not start collecting on the new bond until 2029. The district says it will immediately enter the planning and design phase, which is expected to last about a year before starting an estimated two-year construction phase.
Milford Exempted Village SchoolsMilford Schools put a 1% earned income tax measure on the ballot to offset rising costs due to inflation, but the measure was rejected by voters.
Since 2023, the district says it has made around $4.5 million in budget reductions to keep the school system out of deficit spending. Milford's current revenue trajectory would put the district under fiscal caution in 2025 and eventually a physical emergency by 2026.
Without the income tax, the Milford School Board says it needs to eliminate 21 additional staff positions, reduce course offerings, and scratch bus transportation for some students, among other reductions.
Clinton-Massie Local SchoolsVoters rejected the school district's proposed 1% earned income tax levy. It was intended to maintain the school system's current educational programs. Now Clinton-Massie will likely cut 10 teaching positions and four support positions, as well as increase pay-to-participate fees for students. Clinton- Massie previously passed a 0.5% earned income tax in 2019, which is set to expire at the end of December.
