2018
Operating levy • Rejected
A continuing levy did not earn voter approval.
Voters rejected Issue 8, a 7.9-mill additional operating levy with no five-year end date.
Read the Record ↗OUR HISTORY / 2018–2026
A consistent principle.
A different financial picture.
We supported excellent schools before this debate began. We still do. The story is how the district’s funding plan changed—and why that progress earned our support.
2019
Operating levy • Approved
A smaller levy. A five-year term. Voters said yes.
Issue 4 was a 5.9-mill additional operating levy limited to five years. It passed in May 2019 and collected from January 2020 through December 2024. That history matters: supporting the schools and insisting on voter review have always been compatible.
Read the Record ↗2021
Renewal • Approved
A separate existing levy was renewed.
Voters renewed the older 2002 operating levy through Issue 68. This is the separate levy behind the $8.41 million common benchmark in our comparison. Its collections run through December 2027.
Read the Record ↗2023
November • Issue 14 rejected
The reserve buildup demanded a closer look.
The district had a nearly $10 million annual surplus in FY2023. Voters rejected Issue 14, a five-year renewal certified at $9.854 million per year. Alongside the common $8.41 million existing-levy benchmark, that is the $18.264 million original funding package used on this site.
Read the Record ↗March 2024
Issue 25 • Rejected
Voters repeated their message.
A second five-year renewal attempt, Issue 25, was rejected. By June 2024, unencumbered operating reserves reached $75.05 million—89% of that year’s spending.
Read the Record ↗July 2024
Proposed funding plan
We put a smaller proposed funding plan on the table.
Better Ohio PAC’s proposed plan called for $7 million in renewable funding with another voter review after five years. Added to the same $8.41 million existing-levy benchmark, the package totaled $15.41 million a year. Contemporaneous public statements called for a smaller levy and a five-year review.
Read the Record ↗November 2024
Operating levy • Rejected
The continuing proposal also failed.
Issue 53 proposed a 4.9-mill continuing operating levy certified at $9.23 million annually. Voters rejected it. The older 2019 levy then finished collecting at the end of December 2024.
Read the Record ↗2025–26
Reserve drawdown
Reserves began replacing the lost levy revenue.
The district operated without the expired revenue stream, using resources taxpayers had already provided. Combined unencumbered cash fell from $75.05 million in June 2024 to $58.09 million in June 2026.
Read the Record ↗May 2026
Bond proposal • Rejected
A separate school-construction bond was rejected.
Voters rejected a $147.65 million school-improvement bond proposal. That was a construction-financing question. Issue 9 is the five-year operating levy on the November ballot.
Read the Record ↗2026–27
Spending discipline
Modest reductions are now in place.
The district reports about $1.8 million in annual reductions implemented for this school year. The changes remain in place if Issue 9 passes.
Read the Record ↗November 3, 2026
Vote YES on Issue 9
Issue 9 delivers the funding level we sought.
The certified $15.43 million annual levy is essentially the $15.41 million package in our proposed funding plan. It is $2.84 million below the original 2023 comparison package and limited to five years. Those changes, together with the use of reserves, earned our YES endorsement.
Read the Record ↗What changed—and what didn’t.
The reserves are being used. The funding package is smaller. The levy has a five-year limit.
Those are concrete changes. Our purpose remains the same: excellent schools, responsible finances and a district that answers to the community. The evidence behind each comparison is available for everyone to examine.
Review Sources and Methods →A victory worth recognizing
Let’s take the win.
And move forward together.
Excellent schools. Responsible finances. Accountability to the people paying the bills. Issue 9 is the right next step.
VOTEYESON ISSUE 9NOVEMBER 3, 2026