The levy rejections also come at a time when state lawmakers are pushing for property tax reform and many feel they are paying too much in taxes to schools, while schools have run out of additional COVID-19 funds and say they are facing consequences if the levies don’t pass.
Springboro voters approve new schools
Springboro City Schools voters approved a bond issue to pay for the construction of one new building and improvements to several others with 65% voting for the bond issue and 35% against, according to final, unofficial results from the Warren County Board of Election.
Springboro City Schools requested a 2.8-mill, $115 million bond for a new preschool through second grade school, high school updates and an athletics multi-purpose center, among other updates.
Springboro superintendent Carrie Hester and treasurer Terrah Stacey both thanked the community for their support.
“This decision will impact every school in the district, bettering the lives of our students and the Springboro community for decades to come,” Hester said.
Franklin voters reject income tax
Franklin City Schools voters rejected a 1% income tax with 60.4% against the levy and 39.6% for the levy in final results. District officials said previously that Franklin could face state takeover if the levy did not pass.
Franklin City Schools requested a 1% income tax levy, which would generate roughly $6.4 million annually. This is the third time that Franklin schools have gone to the ballot in the last year to request money from voters. Both previous levy requests were soundly rejected.
The school district is facing fiscal emergency, the most severe rating of fiscal crisis in Ohio schools, after state funding to the district was cut in the latest state budget, officials said.
Jefferson Twp. voters reject income tax
Jefferson Twp. Local Schools voters rejected a 1% income tax levy with 40% voting for the tax and 60% against it in final, unofficial results.
The 1% income tax would have generated just under $1 million per year for the district.
Jefferson Twp. superintendent Rusty Clifford said while the results were not what they hoped for, more people voted for the levy in November than May.
“We know we need to continue to educate people with what we will do with the money,” Clifford said.
In May, Jefferson Twp. voters rejected a 1.5%, ongoing income tax, which would have brought in $1.4 million per year for the schools, according to the district. About 31% of voters approved the levy, while 69% were opposed, according to the Montgomery County Board of Elections.
Jefferson Twp. district treasurer Craig Jones said the district is at risk of being in financial oversight from the state if the levy does not pass. The district’s entire budget was about $8.3 million last school year, and this school year is projected to be about $8.5 million.
Carlisle voters narrowly keep income tax
In Carlisle Local Schools, 50.4% of voters voted against repealing an 1% income tax and 49.6% voted for repealing the tax in final results.
A total of 1,273 votes were cast for repealing the tax while 1,281 were cast against repealing the tax across Montgomery and Warren counties. That is within the margin of error that could demand a recount.
This year, the district received about $3.7 million from that tax.
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