Cincinnati area public school districts facing similar financial challenges saw mixed results at the ballot box in Tuesday's primary election.
Of the seven local districts with issues on the ballot, three levies passed, while three others failed. One school levy vote ended in a tie Tuesday night.
Mt. Healthy City Schools
The levy for Mt. Healthy City Schools suffered defeat at the ballot box yet again, with about 62% of voters opposing. Voters denied the proposed levy for a second time Tuesday after striking down a similar levy last fall.
The small urban district has faced an uphill financial battle since early 2024, when the Ohio State Auditor placed Mt. Healthy in a fiscal emergency after accounting errors by its previous treasurer were discovered, showing a major budget shortfall.
The school system has been chipping away at its $10.8 million projected budget deficit over the past year, implementing massive layoffs and eliminating several student services and programs to reduce its spending.
The five-year emergency levy was projected to bring in $1.5 million a year in funding for the district. Mt. Healthy is planning to make more reductions before the start of the next year. Without extra revenue from the levy, district leaders are expected to face even harder decisions.
Princeton City Schools
Princeton's 10-year emergency levy, which is set to bring in $12.8 million annually, was approved by voters Tuesday night with about 54% of the vote.
District leaders say the levy is essential in order to keep teachers and staff, and pay for basic maintenance and utilities. Princeton was also considering closing some of its school buildings for the 2026-2027 school year if the levy failed. For now, it appears the school district will avoid that.
Princeton's success in the May primary comes months after a proposed levy failed in November, which resulted in the district implementing a hiring freeze and ending all non-grant-funded school field trips at the beginning of 2025.
West Clermont Local Schools
Voters in the West Clermont School District overwhelmingly turned down a combined property and earned income tax to help fund the construction of new school buildings.
The district says it put the issue on the ballot because some of its buildings are aging and overcrowded. Had the proposal been approved, West Clermont would have combined funds generated by the tax with money from the Ohio Facilities Commission to build a new elementary school and a new intermediate school for fifth through eighth-grade students at the site of its current middle school.
Edgewood City Schools
Edgewood's levy renewal gained enough votes to pass in the primary. The school district's current substitute levy was set to expire at the end of the year. The newly approved levy will not raise taxes in the district.
The school system will now bring in $3 million each year for five years.
Madison Local Schools
The vote for Madison Local's levy renewal ended in a tie according to unofficial results from the Butler County Board of Elections Tuesday night. The levy received 620 votes against and 620 votes in support.
Supporters of the school levy say it's essential to keep resources in the school system, like student transportation. Madison Local had already implemented a reduction in staff before the election due to budget constraints.
The proposed levy renewal would raise $1 million for the district each year for the next 10 years, extending an emergency levy property tax the district has relied on since 2005.
Franklin City Schools
Franklin City Schools' proposed levy failed at the ballot. It would have brought in $4.5 million annually over the next five years for operating expenses.
District officials say without the levy, Franklin may lose all-day kindergarten in the fall and will likely have to raise student activity participation fees to $250 per activity for junior high students and $350 per activity for high school students.
Franklin's administration will now look to cut $1.2 million from its budget.
Clinton-Massie Local Schools
After seeing its proposed 1% earned income tax fail on the ballot in November, Clinton-Massie Local Schools had more success with voters this time around.
The tax, which is set to rake in almost $4 million for the district over the next three years, will be used to maintain Clinton-Massie's buildings and academic programs. The district has financially struggled recently, cutting around $1 million from its operating budget last year, and may make more reductions despite the earned income tax.
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