Cincinnati Public Schools’ Board of Education still cannot come to an agreement about which of its three levy options should appear on voters’ ballots in November.
At the July 13 meeting, the seven-person board opted to delay its levy vote and schedule a new, special meeting ahead of the Aug. 5 board of elections filing deadline.
Members voiced a split between moving forward with a property tax levy versus an earned income tax levy – a method of funding traditionally used among rural districts that has recently gained popularity in urban districts.
Several members said they’re worried about how widespread property tax fatigue could impact voters this fall.
“I’m concerned about taxing people out of their homes,” board member Kendra Mapp said, adding that inflated property taxes could indirectly affect renters as well.
Other members, like Ben Lindy and Kari Armbruster, said the July 13 vote would be too hasty a decision.
Lindy told The Enquirer he was “surprised and disappointed” that more of his fellow board members didn’t “at least abstain” from levy votes given that CPS has yet to finalize its four-year Strategic Plan for improving student outcomes.
Considering the board has a few weeks before the filing deadline and the Strategic Plan is still in development, Lindy said during Monday night’s vote that it “feels rushed … it feels not fully baked.”
Board President Brandon Craig and member Eve Bolton, however, said delaying Monday night’s vote could make the board look indecisive.
Craig said he’s heard several folks say they’re “tired of talk” and want action from the CPS board.
“The more we don’t take action, the more it looks like we’re doing the same thing we’ve always done,” Craig said.
The last time CPS passed a new-money levy was in 2016, with the 7.93-mill, five-year levy that raised about $48 million for the district’s preschool program. New funds for general operating costs were last secured in a 2008, 7.89-mill levy that lasted five years.
Which 3 levies is the school board considering?
The board has until Aug. 5 to pass a resolution to proceed with one of the following previously-approved levies:
School board should’ve passed a new-money levy years ago, union says
Talks of raising local taxes to allocate more dollars to the district have dominated recent board discussions, including in the latest June 22 meeting wherein the board cut over 100 personnel in an effort to counteract a $58.6 million deficit.
“Please take my money,” district parent Angie Wilson said during public comment at the May 18 board meeting. “I want my tax dollars to fund Cincinnati Public Schools.”
The latest slate of cuts could have been avoided if the board acted quicker in securing new tax revenue, Cincinnati Federation of Teachers officials have said.
“Your teachers in this district are not your ATM machine to help balance the budget,” union President Julie Sellers said at the board’s June 8 meeting. “This board should’ve worked to place a levy on the ballot at least two years ago.”
CPS joins districts across the state saying they’re having to go to the ballot more frequently in pursuit of local revenue. This is all due to a turbulent funding landscape, district officials say, characterized by sweeping property tax reform, state funds that stray from the Fair School Funding Formula and shrinking enrollment thanks to private school vouchers.
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Cincinnati school board delays November levy vote. What comes next?
Reporting by Grace Tucker, Cincinnati Enquirer / Cincinnati Enquirer
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Grace Tucker, Cincinnati Enquirer | USA TODAY Network
