Issue 20: Lake Local Schools has a 13-mill operating levy on the May 2 ballot

Benjamin Duer, The Repository
·3 min read
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Third grade music teacher Danielle Shaub works with students learning piano on a keyboard on a warm day at Lake Elementary School. Friday, April 14, 2023.
Third grade music teacher Danielle Shaub works with students learning piano on a keyboard on a warm day at Lake Elementary School. Friday, April 14, 2023.

LAKE TWP. − Lake Local Schools can't remain a top-notch district without more money, officials say.

Now the district is going to voters May 2 to ask for more operating funds. The last time voters approved new funding for the district was in 2015, targeted for safety and security. New general fund dollars haven't been added since 2006.

Issue 20 on Lake Local voters' primary ballot is a 13-mill continuous tax on property that would generate an additional $8.3 million annually for the district.

Lake Local Schools are seeking passage of an additional 13-mill operating levy (Issue 20) on the May 2 ballot. If it passes, the levy would generate $8.3 million annually.
Lake Local Schools are seeking passage of an additional 13-mill operating levy (Issue 20) on the May 2 ballot. If it passes, the levy would generate $8.3 million annually.

It would cost the owner of a $211,000 home − the average value for the district − another $906 a year in property taxes. But district officials have said taxes would decrease after a $26 million bond issue, voters approved in 1999, expires after 2026.

A sizeable funding issue was passed in 2015. It included two operating levies that helped upgrade technology, and also included a $34.6 million, 36-year bond issue to help demolish two schools and construct and expand several district schools. None of that money went to the district's general expenses.

See here: What issues will appear on the May 2 ballot in Stark County townships?

Superintendent Kevin Tobin said the driving force behind the primary ballot issue is a projected $3 million deficit in the general fund by fiscal year 2025. Without addition revenue, Tobin said Lake Local would be forced to cut back on the quality of its education.

Lake Local ranked within the top 10% of schools statewide in the latest school report cards from the Ohio Department of Education. It has ranked No. 1 in Stark County for academic performance index for seven straight years.

Tobin also said only three school districts in the state have a better return on their investment, spending less per pupil than both the state and Stark County averages for the last three years.

"We're serious about making sure our young people have the best opportunities for success beyond Lake," Tobin said. "So wherever a parent and their kid chooses to go, our mission is to get them there."

That takes money.

"Things have changed over the years, of course, and the price of everything has gone up," said Greg Stearn, co-chairman of the "Keep Lake Great" levy campaign. "We made that levy last 17 years."

Lake Levy 2023 by Benjamin Duer on Scribd

About 81% of the general fund is spent on personnel − about 450 staff members and athletic coaches − throughout Lake Local, according to district statistics. Local taxes fund 44% of the general fund; the rest comes from state and other sources.

Fifth grade students Kendal Pigott, Holly Gant, Avery Henry and Ava Nixon work to build a boat in class at Lake Elementary School. Friday, April 14, 2023.
Fifth grade students Kendal Pigott, Holly Gant, Avery Henry and Ava Nixon work to build a boat in class at Lake Elementary School. Friday, April 14, 2023.
Evelyn Vensel a 3rd grader works with teacher Danielle Shaub learning piano on a keyboard on a warm day at Lake Elementary School. Friday, April 14, 2023.
Evelyn Vensel a 3rd grader works with teacher Danielle Shaub learning piano on a keyboard on a warm day at Lake Elementary School. Friday, April 14, 2023.

Tobin said they have to seek more local tax dollars because state funds do not adjust for inflation with a formula ruled unconstitutional several times. "Lake can't fix state school funding by May 2," he said.

If the levy fails, he said the district would start to reduce personnel and services in the fall and return to the ballot box. He said teachers, support staff, busing and programs are "all on the table" for cutbacks.

"It'll only get worse, and you'll have to go back the voters," Tobin said.

Not everyone supports the levy

The levy has it supporters and its detractors.

Many of those opposing the tax request, including Mary Reno, have been vocal about it in Hartville-area Facebook groups.

While Lake Local Schools has support for its 13-mill tax levy, there also are voters who oppose the May 2 ballot issue. They've put up their own signs.
While Lake Local Schools has support for its 13-mill tax levy, there also are voters who oppose the May 2 ballot issue. They've put up their own signs.

Reno and her husband, who is retired, have lived in Lake Township for at least 30 years. They love the community, and she doesn't disagree that Lake Local schools are good. But the ask is too much.

"This 13-mill permanent tax is very extreme for residents. It's not fair to the property owners to pay for everything," Reno said. "Everybody is struggling right now with the inflation and high prices."

Zechariah, left, and Micah Morgan, 6th grade students work in the Maker Space at Lake Elementary School. Friday, April 14, 2023.
Zechariah, left, and Micah Morgan, 6th grade students work in the Maker Space at Lake Elementary School. Friday, April 14, 2023.

Stearn knows the levy has received mixed support. He won't predict its May 2 outcome.

"Lake community supports the schools and the direction that we're heading in," he said, "and I feel an overabundance that we have strong support."

Reach Benjamin Duer at 330-580-8567 or ben.duer@cantonrep.com. On Twitter: @bduerREP

This article originally appeared on The Repository: Lake Local Schools is asking voters to OK a 13-mill tax levy on May 2