For the first time in the district’s history, Cincinnati Public Schools will ask voters to approve an earned income tax this November, with a July 27 vote by the school board.
At a rate of 0.75%, the tax would amount to $750 annually for someone with a yearly income of $100,000. The tax would generate $74 million annually for the district, with potential to increase up to $2 million annually as residents’ wages grow, district Treasurer Mike Gustin said at Monday night’s special meeting.
Several members voiced concerns about taxing people out of their homes in choosing to pivot to the tax on income, which applies to “earned” funds like wages and salaries and does not target funds from retirement or Social Security.
The last time CPS passed a new-money levy was in 2016, with the 7.93-mill, five-year property tax that raised about $48 million for the district’s preschool program. New funds for general operating costs were last secured in a 2008, from a 7.89-mill levy that lasted five years.
CPS’s levy vote mimics a trend among districts across the region resorting to income taxes given the property tax fatigue felt by some homeowners.
In the May primary this year, there were 32 income tax requests by districts statewide, including in nearby Mount Healthy Schools and North College Hill City Schools. Of those requests, 24 failed.
Traditionally, the tax on earned income like wages and salaries has been popular among rural districts, where property taxes adversely impact farmers with lots of property but minimal income, Ohio School Board Association CEO Tom Hosler previously told The Enquirer.
But now, urban districts like CPS are beginning to follow suit. The number of income tax levies proposed by school districts has more than quadrupled in recent years, Hosler said, with 12 levies reported in 2021 and 51 in 2025.
Talks of raising local taxes to allocate more dollars to the district have dominated board discussions this year, including in the June meeting wherein the board cut over 100 personnel in an effort to counteract a $58.6 million deficit. That slate of cuts could have been avoided if the board worked to place a levy on the ballot years ago, Cincinnati Federation of Teachers President Julie Sellers said.
Sellers told The Enquirer that she’s disappointed in the board’s levy vote, saying it’s unfair that now CPS students themselves who earn their own income will be taxed to fund the schools. And multi-income households will be hit particularly hard, she added.
A 7-mill property tax levy would have been a safer bet to propose to voters, Sellers said.
In addition to the earned income tax, the board also considered the previously-approved 7-mill and 8-mill property tax levies, both spanning five years.
Board member says he plans to campaign against earned income tax
Monday night’s levy vote comes after hours of discussion and two consecutive meetings wherein the seven-person board was unable to come to an agreement regarding which kind of levy to place on the ballot.
Board members Eve Bolton and Ben Lindy made up the two “no” votes in the 5-2 split.
A supporter of the property tax options, Bolton said an earned income tax would be too big of a gamble to propose to voters given that it’d involve taxing people “who have never been taxed in the history of CPS.”
Lindy previously told The Enquirer he was “surprised and disappointed” that more of his fellow board members didn’t abstain from levy votes given that CPS has yet to finalize its four-year Strategic Plan for improving student outcomes.
In a text message with The Enquirer after Monday night’s vote, Lindy said he currently opposes and plans to campaign against the earned income tax “until we can show unified support for a Strategic Plan.”
Lindy said he’s yet to see verbal or written commitment from the teachers union that they buy in to the goals of the Strategic Plan, which include revamping the way teachers are trained and monitored for how effectively curriculum is taught.
“We are asking the public for over $330 million dollars,” Lindy wrote. “We have to be able to show voters that we have a plan for how we’re going to use that money to improve outcomes for students.”
Before landing on a majority in support for an earned income tax, Kari Armbruster made a motion to vote on the 8-mill property tax option. Bolton seconded Armbruster’s motion, but the vote came out 4-3, with five votes required to place an issue on the ballot.
Members Lindy, Kendra Mapp and Kareem Moncree-Moffett voted against the 8-mill property tax.
Moncree-Moffett and Mapp have repeatedly voiced their support for an earned income tax, saying the property tax fatigue felt by voters is reason enough to deviate from the type of tax CPS has historically proposed.
Plus, a tax on earned income would prevent displacing retired residents with fixed income as well as families struggling to find affordable housing, Mapp said.
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Cincinnati school board places earned income tax on November ballot
Reporting by Grace Tucker, Cincinnati Enquirer / Cincinnati Enquirer
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Grace Tucker, Cincinnati Enquirer | USA TODAY Network
