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Home > Blogs > Get on the Bus > Archives > 2008 > August > 12 > Entry
Dayton schools to seek 4.9 mills
The city schools will ask voters to approve a 4.9-mill levy for operations on Nov. 4.
School board members voted unanimously Tuesday, Aug. 12, to place the levy on the ballot. In May 2007 the district’s 15.17-mill levy try was soundly defeated. That levy would have raised $30 million a year. This levy would raise about $9.5 million annually.
“I would say the $30 million and the 15 mills was what we needed,” board President Yvonne Isaacs said. “What we know having gone through this past year is the community simply cannot afford that kind of a levy.”
While the 2007 levy was for five years, the 4.9-mill issue is a continuing levy, which does not require voters to re-approve it.
Interim Superintendent Kurt Stanic said the levy will cost the owner of an average Dayton home worth about $59,000 less than $8 a month.
By Sept. 1 Stanic said would prepare two “recovery” plans, one for if the levy passes, the other for in case it fails.
Stanic said the district must get into a routine of asking voters for smaller levies every few years. It has been 16 years since voters last approved new operating money. He also said the district had cut 1,100 jobs and $77 million from its budget since 2002, not counting $2.2 million and 25 positions cut since July 1.
Permalink | Comments (20) | Post your comment | Categories: Dayton Public Schools
Comments
By dayton driver
August 18, 2008 8:30 PM | Link to this
Asking the transportation supervisors to use their own vehicles on the job has to be the dumbest thing I’ve ever heard. They have to be able to zip from one end of the city to the other on a moment’s notice to handle often dangerous situations. Today a fight broke out on a bus between two gang members on a bus in the Gettysburg area, and a supervisor had to be there PRONTO. What if their transmission went kaput, and were not able to get there? DPS would have been held liable. Now, I do believe that the kind of vehicles they do drive (GIGANTIC DODGE RAM TRUCKS) should be sold off, and they should be given more reasonable vehicles to perform their jobs in. When the giant silver bullets were purchased, it really was a slap in the face to the employees in transportation, who have been struggling to get by in an economy wherein’ the rate of inflation is always going up and the yearly raises do not match it (not to mention the constant increases in our insurance premiums). The longer you work at transportation, the more money you lose. That kind of purchase does show the arrogance and stupidity at work among the DPS administration. Other purchases that were totally stupid: A GPS tracking system for buses that was never utilized. Speed guns purchased for supervisors that were never used because they are not Ohio Peace officers, and thus, have no authority to use them other than in an observational role. charterschoolhater really needs to get a clue. But then again, so does the DDN, because the meat and potatoes of the district is NEVER covered. Oh yeah, you folks also might want to encourage Scott and the other folks in the mainstream media around here to ask why a lot of bus drivers are getting less than five minutes to do a safety pre-trip of their vehicles. LOOK IT UP! It’s public record. Request route information from the legal department. The sunshine laws give you this right. Would YOU want to put your child on a vehicle that is not properly pre-tripped. The state allows 30-minutes for the pre-trip inspection on the CDL test. If Scott, and other media members would stop taking clues from the PR department, and instead, from people on the ground, then maybe would would get a rare commodity: insight. Maybe even, gasp…truth.By Buford
August 18, 2008 9:25 AM | Link to this
Here is extracted information concerning public schools from the State ODE website, current as posted to date: Dayton; Academic Watch;15,825 students;91.1% avg attendance;met 2 of 30 state standards;Dist AYP not met; paying $13,531 locally per student. Columbus;Continuous Improvement;53,674 students;94.0% avg attendance;met 5 of 30 standards;Dist AYP met;paying $12,653 locally per student. Cleveland;Continuous Improvement;53,789 students;92.1% avg attendance;met 4 of 30 standards;Dist AYP met;paying $12,213 locally per student. Akron;Continuous Improvement;25,758 students;93.2% avg attendance;met 8 of 30 standards;Dist AYP not met;paying $10,421 locally per student. Toledo;Academic Watch;27,984 students;92.3% avg attendance;met 5 of 30 standards;Dist AYP not met;paying $11,320 locally per student. Cincinnati;Continuous Improvement;33,881 students;94.7% avg attendance;met 8 of 30 standards;Dist AYP not met;paying $12,550 locally per student. Lakota/Butler;Excellent;16,780 students;96.3% avg attendance;met 29 of 30 standards;Dist AYP not met;paying $8,518 locally per student.By chaterschoolhater
August 16, 2008 6:48 PM | Link to this
You cut out perks when you do not have the money. Now if that makes me ignorant then so be it. I will not vote for the levy until the Dayton Schools show they will do more with less!By MC
August 16, 2008 10:10 AM | Link to this
charterschoolhater, are you as ignorant as you sound?By KT
August 16, 2008 10:05 AM | Link to this
TB, I agree. Most of the idiots that get on here and post know none of the facts. They base their ignorant comments on heresay or what they have read on the blog. For all you idiots; what is written here is opinion. Opinion is not fact. Please learn to separate the two before offering your two cents worth.By Laura
August 15, 2008 11:18 PM | Link to this
Charterschoolhater: You are woefully misinformed if you believe corporate management drive their own cars and submit mileage allowances. Perks of those type aren’t even limited to corporate managers, but many low to mid management people also get perks such as vehicles, cell phones and even company credit cards. I am not suggesting school employees should receive these incentives, just that most people in the business world do get them. I wonder if all the people who think schools should be run as a business would include all financial incentives of the business world.By TB
August 15, 2008 5:01 PM | Link to this
Most administrators DO drive their own cars and submit mileage. Go without what perks…insurance, sick days???? Where would you work if you didn’t have these “perks”?By charteschoolhater
August 15, 2008 1:32 PM | Link to this
I will vote YES on the school levy when the DPS cut all perks for administrators and others. Most notably Mary Manuel and the transportation supervisors. I say cut Mary’s do nothing job completely. Also make administrators drive their own vehicles and pay a mileage reimbursement like other large corporations. It is time they learn to live within their means.By TB
August 14, 2008 4:13 PM | Link to this
Mike, You and painful truth are both taking out your frustrations with the City on the students of DPS. I agree that there is much to be fixed within the City Gov’t as well as within DPS, but the bottom line is that if this levy does not pass overcrowded classrooms will become even more overcrowded. Students who need special care may not receive the help that they need. Good teachers will leave the district to seek employment in a less stressful environment that pays more. Activities that keep kids enthused about school will be cut. If you think things are bad now….. $8/mo is not a bad price to pay when you consider the alternative. You’ll be paying more than $8/mo when these kids are in jail.By Mike
August 14, 2008 9:33 AM | Link to this
For TB the city government’s deficiencies do affect the schools. The encouragement of the welfare mentality by the current management encourages a blame game of everybody’s fault but me. If we had elected a better mayor we might have a better city manager than the current. We might be presenting a better image to companies than the current square/over hat mayor. Watching the mayor sit at the news converence for the police chief about the mentally ill guy who attacked a policeman with her little way of cocking her head as if she didn’t believe the white folk were telling the truth sends a BIG message to the community. That same attitude and blame game permeats the schools as well as the community. There is no hope.By Caroline
August 13, 2008 7:40 PM | Link to this
Do you realize how much Dayton has cut staff already? another round of cuts? Already, a lot of services have been outsourced. The classrooms have way more than 25 in them already. In reality, further staff cuts would end up hurting the teachers/students directly. The teachers already are responsible for doing the majority of their cleaning in the classroom due to maintenance cuts. I hope that Dayton passes this levy. I know the schools are in “academic emergency,” but what will happen if it fails?By lou
August 13, 2008 3:49 PM | Link to this
Ok if you don’t support the schools then Dayton will die. The quality of the local schools has a direct correlation to the success of the community. Yes population is down but 16 years ago you did not have the technology required today. Without an education the children of Dayton have no future but public assistance. Pay now or pay more later, YOUR CHOICE DAYTON.By Buford
August 13, 2008 12:00 PM | Link to this
At risk of making my point the hard way, when I mention the DPS student population has dropped 10,000 or so over the last roughly 16 years - that represents a student decrease from a little over 26,000 to less than 16,000 (latest numbers released by DPS). Also, consider the DDN news article on 26 June 08, referencing that some 3,300 Dayton households were currently on Section 8 public assistance and that number expected to increase to 4,000 by end of 2008.By TB
August 13, 2008 9:10 AM | Link to this
painfultruth, City Government and the School District are two separate entities. Your frustration with one of those should not be taken out on the other.By null
August 13, 2008 9:05 AM | Link to this
How well could you function earning wages based 16 years ago? The amount they are asking is only about $8/mo.By Buford
August 13, 2008 8:47 AM | Link to this
Okay, so it has been 16 years since a new property tax levy has been asked/approved. In that time period, Dayton has lost roughly 90,000 residents and DPS enrollment dropped roughly 10,000 students. Fewer students, fewer property owners, more people on public assistance who essentially would not have to pay on such a levy, student discipline still a problem, parental involvement still a problem. Paying more now per student that anywhere else around and for a school system barely ahead of being taken over by the State (due to poor performance).By Skeptic
August 13, 2008 12:32 AM | Link to this
I will vote YES. The Board has been consistently cutting programs for 5 years, while serving very disadvantaged children. They can’t even fund a bus to take kids to high school. DPS can’t survive, much less compete, using a funding formula from 16 years ago. The construction money has nothing to do with operating costs. $8 is a small price to pay for better schools. Change in the City must start with the schools.By painfultruth
August 12, 2008 10:46 PM | Link to this
VOTE NO ON THE SCHOOL BOARD LEVY. Until schools learn to live within their means, and actually DO teaching, VOTE NO. The DDN is too limp and politically correct to critique the lousy school system and the even-worse city government, including Mayor McHat. KEEP VOTING NO UNTIL POSITIVE CHANGES ARE MADE IN CITY GOVERNMENT. The “hurting the children” excuse is what has brought us to this point. Tell Dayton that NO CHANGES - NO LEVY PASSES. VOTE WITH YOUR WALLETS!!!By Dave
August 12, 2008 8:32 PM | Link to this
I will be voting no! I hope everyone else does too!By Joe
August 12, 2008 7:46 PM | Link to this
Ok, so they are asking for more money. In a district with declining enrollment and newer buildings, why are the costs going up? I would have expected to have seen BEFORE they asked for this: A) Another round of staff cuts / freezes. B)Outsourcing of as many functions as possible, other than in-room personel. 1) In-room personnel should be maintained as a strict student:teacher ration of at least 25:1 2) The burden of cuts should not fall on the ones who work with the children, unless the ratios are too low. 3) The school system should devote as much money as affordable to its ‘core’ business function, which is classroom eduction. 4) The rest of the functions should be outsourced to free up money for the core business