The Lakewood Board of Education took the final step toward putting a 3.9-mill levy on the May ballot Monday night.
The board has been discussing this possible levy for months—back in August, the district began surveying residents, asking whether they would support a levy and how much they would be able to afford.
After months of discussion, the board opted to put a traditional, 3.9-mill levy on the May 7 ballot. According to a press release from the board, the levy would cost homeowners $10 per month for $100,000 of home value, if passed.
The district has made spending cuts in recent years, but has also seen a decrease in property tax collections and in state funding. This is the lowest millage request since the 1970s, according to the district.
For more:
- 3.9-Mill Levy Takes Another Step Toward the Ballot
- 3.9-Mill Levy May be Headed to the Ballot in May
- Five-Year Financial Forecast is ‘Challenging’ for Lakewood Schools
- Survey Says: Lakewood School Levy Coming
Fix that before asking the tax-payer to hand over more money to be tossed down the drain.
As far as the increase in funding announced by the state: go back and read the article again. Yes the state is increasing funding but it is not going to be given out equally to each school system. The poorer districts (which does not include Lakewood) are going to get the lions share. East Cleveland will be getting a big increase yet Beachwood will not see any of the increase.
Once we see that - the real number - we can then start to pick apart the concept of lowering expenses and unloading or re-purposing the inventory of empty schools. How about that The original Bill?
This is a city that has a very limited business community, it is not rapidly expanding. This is a city with an aging housing stock that continues to look more dilapidated year by year. This is a city with a large aging population on fixed incomes. This is a city with a serious drug and crime problem on its eastern border of 117th St. I could go on and on. Lakewood is not as prosperous has it was in years gone by. Nor will those glory days likely return anytime soon. With very high property taxes already and also a hefty tax on your earned income, we the citizens need to say no to yet another tax burden. This is not about supporting schools. We all love our schools. This is about the need to get out of the old Rust Belt way of taxation. This is not just $ 10 a month. It is for most of us going to be over $ 200 a year x 3 years = over $600. = on top of more tax property/income increases most likely over that 3 year period of time also. ENOUGH! The school board needs to start to think out of the box. Vote down this tax increase and maybe we will finally see some action from the board/city to sell old empty schools, to review retiree pensions, and to start to put an action plan in place that accepts the reality that Lakewood is not a booming town anymore - there is NOT an unlimited tax stream to gather from its citizens every year.
http://www.cleveland.com/datacentral/index.ssf/2013/02/find_out_how_ohios_school_fund.html?appSession=805356803888402
I want see this city cleaned up from border to border east to west and south to north. Increase the desire to live in ALL areas of Lakewood and families will move in. Only then will support for the school levys will grow. As long as there are drugs/crime taking over, and no end in sight - forget your school levy. And remember Lakewood, once you let your citizens/property owners down it takes years to recover. Work NOW for the reputation you want to have in the future. Work for all of Lakewood, not just "certain" neighborhoods.
Even though the schools are completely separate from city hall.