One win stood out among a sea of losses for the seven Greater Cincinnati school districts that took to the primary ballots May 5 to ask for funds.
After three consecutive failed property tax levies, Mount Healthy School District at last won over voter support for an income tax by a rail-thin margin, according to unofficial Hamilton County election results. Around 51% of voters supported the tax, with 3,788 total votes cast.
The victory came after a turbulent few years for the district 16 miles north of Cincinnati, which was placed under a state of fiscal emergency in 2024 due to a multimillion-dollar deficit tied to faulty forecasts by a former treasurer.
Mount Healthy’s ballot issue is part of what experts say is the standout trend this election cycle: the unusually large number of districts opting for income tax levies. It’s a shift some attribute to the statewide push to abolish property taxes, a documented levy fatigue among homeowners and Ohio’s sweeping property tax reforms that tighten the reins on schools’ prospective revenue.
Those variables were reflected in New Richmond schools’ failed property tax levy, which voters dismissed by a significant margin. The rural Clermont County district nearly placed under fiscal caution by the state said it needed the new funds to maintain services like all-day kindergarten and busing for high-schoolers.
New Richmond’s Superintendent Paul Daniels thanked the community for getting out to vote in a statement sent late Tuesday night, adding that the district will continue looking at cuts in a way that minimizes impacts on students and families.
Voters in Warren County and Butler County rejected school issues on their ballots, too.
Here’s a roundup of results.
4 losses, 1 win in these school levy results
Fairfield City Schools – Butler County
New Richmond Exempted Village Schools – Clermont County
Mount Healthy City Schools – Hamilton County
North College Hill City Schools – Hamilton County
Franklin City Schools – Warren County
What do primary school levy results mean for November election?
The tilt toward income taxes in Greater Cincinnati schools echoes a trend experts are seeing statewide. It also foreshadows what might be down the pipe in November’s general election.
An analysis by the Ohio Education Policy Institute shows there are 32 income tax levies proposed by schools this election cycle, compared to 22 in the May 2025 primary. That’s a novel hike, the institute stated, given that income taxes typically make up one quarter of school operating levies each election − this year, it accounted for over 61% of ballot asks
Howard Fleeter, research consultant for the institute, told The Enquirer that schools are testing the income-tax waters this election cycle.
“This is an experiment for districts to take the temperature of their electorate and see what people are willing to support and what they’re not,” Fleeter said about the primary.
“Districts are going to pay attention,” he said. “And that’s going to affect what they put on the ballot in November.”
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Mount Healthy voters approve school levy on fourth try
Reporting by Grace Tucker, Cincinnati Enquirer / Cincinnati Enquirer
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
