Issue #36, a new operating levy for Bexley schools, is on the ballot in the Nov. 5, election to potentially raise 15 mills for district operations.
With Issue #36, the district is seeking a levy to help pay for operational and current expenses by increasing property taxes. According to a Bexley City Schools fact page, this includes staff salaries, programs, services and safety.
According to the district’s fact page, Issue #36 is an incremental property tax request that would be phased in with an initial tax of 5 mills on property appraised values, and four years will follow of an additional 2.5 mills of property taxes each year. Chief Financial Officer Kyle Smith explained a mill is a unit of taxation, or a taxation measurement on property values.
The phased-in levy would start collecting money in 2025 and be fully implemented by 2029, the district’s fact page notes.
Smith said incremental taxes are the district’s new way to address the levy cycle instead of relying on a revenue increase for the next three years. A five year forecast is a document that makes projections on where the district’s revenues and expenses will occur over the next five years, he explained.
“The document shows the district will be out of money very soon,” Smith said.
Superintendent Jason Fine said if the levy fails, the district must cut $4 to 7 million from the operating budget in the 2025-26 school year.
Fine explained levies are a normal part of school funding in Ohio.
“Revenues do not increase as expenditures increase,” Fine said. “There’s a normal levy cycle of about three years, but the district was able to stretch the last levy in 2019 past the usual three years.”
Smith said the district needs to either make budget cuts or ask for additional revenues.
“[The district] is at the usual point in the levy cycle where the district’s revenues do not
match the district’s expenditures,” Smith explained.
He said if the levy fails, the district would have to reduce the number of staff members by about 30 to 60.
“When schools have levy failures, you typically see programs or courses being eliminated, larger class sizes, athletic team reductions and larger pay to play fees to name a few,” Smith explained.
Issue #36 is not related to the District Facilities Plan that is currently underway, Fine said. The levy will only be used to fund day-to-day operations of the district, he added.
In the future, with the District Facilities Plan, the district will have to consider the additional operating costs from that plan, Smith said.
Fine said the levy will affect the students directly on a day to day basis, specifically with technology and lunches.
“Absolutely every dollar of this operating levy will directly affect every student in Bexley Schools,” he explained. “If students are interested in addressing food options or technology improvements, first we must ensure adequate staffing for the learning environment.”
