The Marlington Local Schools Board of Education (“Board”) has placed a large 7.6 mill property tax levy on the ballot for May 3^rd. If passed, homeowners will be paying an additional $20 million at $4 million per year for the next five years to the school district. Administrators say the levy is needed because they haven’t asked for new operating money in 19 years, changes in state funding for schools, and rising costs from inflation. What this is really about is the Board’s deficit spending (spending more money than they have coming in) since 2016, consistently eroding what was once a $9 million cash reserve.¹ This has been happening while the district’s financial consultant, Ryan Ghizzoni of Forecast Five, has been politely pleading with them to substantially reduce their expenses, but with no success.

Now, the Board and administrators are saying they need $4 million more per year just to maintain the “status quo”.² In other words, they’re expecting homeowners like you to pay for all their over-spending, while they change none of their spending habits. They complain about rising inflation without giving a thought to district residents who are also suffering under the same rising prices for everything from groceries and gasoline to utilities but don’t have a $24 million budget like the school district. At the same time, homeowners are already feeling the impact of two significant property tax increases from the Stark County Auditor over the last several years.

We’re not against the district receiving some new money from taxpayers, but expecting homeowners in the current economic climate to bear the entire $4 million burden, while the Board makes no significant budget cuts or ends its deficit spending is simply unacceptable. Voting NO on Issue 1 doesn’t mean you don’t support good schools or students. When you vote NO on Issue 1 you’re telling the Board to go back to the table and return with a proposal that’s more equally shared in the form of substantial cuts by the district and a smaller levy by homeowners. Times have changed. The Board needs to understand homeowners can no longer be expected to be the sole local funding source for its budget and learn to live within its current revenue streams, just like we have to do.