Conneaut schools trying again on levy
CONNEAUT — Officials with the Conneaut Area City Schools district are hoping they have done a better job educating voters about a tax issue set for the Nov. 7 general election ballot.
The district is seeking a 2-mill continuous levy that would raise an estimated $444,000 annually. Money would be used for permanent improvements, such as classroom equipment, technology, school bus repairs and purchases and building maintenance. None of the funds will be spent on payroll or employee benefits, said Chris Brecht, Conneaut Board of Education member.
An identical measure was defeated at the polls in May by a 603-410 margin, according to the Ashtabula County Board of Elections. The ballot language for November is the same, Brecht said. What's changed was the district's approach to addressing details, he said.
"We didn't do a good enough job explaining it (in the spring)," Brecht said.
The proposed levy actually saves taxpayers money by wiping away an old tax some 20 years old. In the early 2000s, voters approved a levy that raised money to pay the local share of a multi-million school building program. The state picked up the bulk of the $45 million-plus project, but the district needed to contribute a percentage to the overall cost. The district turned to voters to raise the local share.
The school building package was two-fold: a 1-mill tax to raise the local match, plus a .5-mill levy to help pay for upkeep of the new buildings.
Voters said yes to both, and the result was the construction of Lakeshore Primary, Gateway Elementary and Conneaut Middle schools, plus extensive upgrades to Conneaut High School.
The 1-mill construction bond issue will be paid off by the end of the year, Brecht said.
The district wants to hang onto the old .5-mill building upkeep component and bundle it with a separate 1.5-mill permanent improvement account voters have faithfully renewed for several years.
"We're trying to recapture the .5-mill maintenance piece," Brecht said. "We've been using that the last 20 years. We really need that .5-mill to maintain the buildings.
"All we're looking to retain (from the original construction package) is the maintenance (component)," he said.
The reconfigured permanent improvement levy would actually save taxpayers some $180,00 annually, officials have said. November's levy would cost a taxpayer with property valued at $100,000 some $70 additional each year, according to the levy cost estimator available from the Ashtabula County auditor's office.
Money is needed to keep ahead of costly repairs, keep buses in good repair and ensure students have up-to-date technology, Brecht said. There's no shortage of needs, he said, including replacement of the computer tablets provided students and a fix for the roof atop the former Southeast Elementary School building, now used for storage. The district's parking lots would also get attention.
"We haven't done a paving project in two years," Brecht said. "Typically, we spend $75,000 a year in paving."
Uses for the permanent improvement levy funds are not showy or frivolous, Brecht said.
" We're not saying we want more money to do more things," he said. "This is not fun stuff or exciting stuff. (The school board) is trying to be good stewards of the money.
"We want to keep the (bus) fleet safe and technology in place," Brecht said.
Officials are hoping for a better outcome at the polls next month.
"People we have spoken to say it makes perfect sense," Brecht said. "I'm hopeful. The community has been supportive of past levies."
