Seven local school districts will have levies on the ballot during the May 6 election, which is expected to be a low-turnout event. Though early voting figures show few registered voters in Ohio have cast ballots so far, school districts and their school communities are hoping those who do come to the polls approve their proposed levies.
Several districts are facing similar financial challenges, such as needing to eliminate teaching jobs and increase fees on students to keep their budgets balanced in the face of rising education costs.
Some school systems will be putting their tax measures back on the ballot in an attempt to score approval after seeing those same levies get rejected during the 2024 primary and general elections.
Mt. Healthy City Schools
Mt. Healthy City Schools is turning to the ballot box again to chip away at its steep budget deficit with a five-year emergency levy expected to bring in $1.5 million annually. The district attempted to pass a similar levy in November but it failed.
The school district was placed in a fiscal emergency by the Ohio State Auditor in early 2024 after accounting errors by its previous treasurer were discovered, showing a projected deficit of $10.8 million. Mt. Healthy was forced to take a loan from the state to stay afloat this school year.
The school system already has laid off 100 full-time employees, cut transportation, added participation fees to its athletics programs, and downsized its graduation ceremony this year. Even if it can pass a levy, Mt. Healthy will still need to make more reductions before next school year to recover from its fiscal emergency. The district says levy funds will go toward basics like paying teachers, buying classroom supplies, transportation, and special education services.
Princeton City Schools
Princeton City Schools says it needs to pass a levy to pay its teachers and staff, and cover its basic utilities.
Princeton also attempted to pass a levy in November, but it wasn't approved. The levy's failure forced the school district to implement a hiring freeze and axe all student field trips funded by the school's general fund at the beginning of 2025.
Now, Princeton Schools says if this levy doesn't pass in May, it will consider closing some of its school buildings for the 2026-2027 school year, but no decisions have been made yet.
School Board President Jon Simons says despite the cuts the school system already has made, students have performed well, and he'd like to bring in more money to avoid an academic downturn.
"Princeton is on a good trend, a very good trend, but we need financing to continue that trend," Simons told WVXU.
The Board of Education approved putting a 10-year emergency levy on the ballot, set to generate $12.8 million for the district annually.
West Clermont Local Schools
West Clermont is putting a combined property and earned income tax on the ballot to fund building projects to address overcrowding.
The property tax portion of the levy would generate $3.9 million each year, while the earned income tax piece would bring in an estimated $5 million annually.
Those funds would be combined with money from the Ohio Facilities Construction Commission to build a new school for West Clermont's fifth and sixth grade students and seventh and eighth grade students at the site of its current middle school campus. The district's facilities plan also includes the construction of a new elementary school.
Edgewood City Schools
Edgewood Schools is seeking to renew its existing substitute levy, which expires at the end of this year. If voters approve, the school system would get close to $3 million annually over five years.
The renewal would not raise taxes for residents. Ahead of Election Day, the school district has shared little about how it may be affected if the levy were to fail.
Edgewood recently had a change in leadership. Its former superintendent, Kelly Spivey, resigned in early April for personal reasons and was replaced by former Edgewood Middle School principal Curtis Philpot, currently serving as interim superintendent.
In a recent statement, Philpot described his first few weeks as district leader as a "whirlwind." He says he spent his first few days in the role reviewing $1.5 million in reductions and delivering reduction-in-force notices to employees. Though he says he initially felt taking the job was a "huge mistake," he now says he is up for the responsibility.
Madison Local Schools
Madison Local Schools is placing a renewal levy on the ballot to extend an emergency property tax that began in 2005 for another 10 years. The district says it needs funding from the renewal to avoid an operating deficit.
Ryan White is a Madison Local parent and part of a campaign supporting the levy. He says Madison Local is already facing budget constraints. The district recently had to eliminate some teaching positions, and more cuts will be on the way if the renewal fails.
"We're eliminating high school busing — holy smokes," White says. "And we're also going to increase pay-to-play from $200 to $400."
On top of higher fees and cuts to transportation, the district would need to eliminate more teaching positions and administrative jobs without the levy.
The renewal levy would generate $1.1 million a year for Madison Local Schools, the same amount it has generated annually since it was first approved 20 years ago.
Franklin City Schools
Franklin City Schools superintendent Michael Sander says it could be a tough road ahead for the district if its May levy doesn't pass. Franklin could lose all-day kindergarten next school year and would have to raise student activity participation fees to $250 per activity at the junior high level and $350 per activity at the high school level.
The district also would need to cut transportation costs and eliminate some staff positions to stay afloat.
Franklin had a proposed levy fail with voters last year. Around 60% of the district's students are considered economically disadvantaged. Sander says if it fails again, those students will have to pick up the cost.
"Those students are the ones that get hurt," he told WVXU. "They won't be able to afford to participate in extracurricular activities. I don't like that at all."
Without levy funds, Franklin would need to cut $1.2 million from its budget.
Clinton-Massie Local Schools
Clinton-Massie Schools saw its 1% earned income tax levy fail in November. Now, the district is putting the same income tax back on the ballot for the May primary.
The district says the levy would be used to retain its current academic programs, maintain its buildings, and keep up with rising education costs. David Moss, Clinton-Massie's superintendent, says the school system cut $1 million from its budget before the 2024-2025 school year, mostly by eliminating staff positions, and already is proceeding with more reductions in staff and academic offerings for the 2025-2026 school year, saving another $1 million.
Even more teaching positions may be on the chopping block without the passage of the tax. Clinton-Massie has begun looking for educators to fill some of its open positions for next school year, but Moss says those plans could be nixed.
"As people are looking for jobs, we're evaluating whether or not those are positions that we absolutely have to fill at this point," Moss said in an interview with WVXU. "We're in a tough spot."
Clinton-Massie says it expects to bring in close to $4 million over the next three years if the earned income tax is approved by voters.
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