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Ellen Belcher is the Dayton Daily News opinion pages editor. She writes about state government, education, the environment, higher education and all things Dayton.
Martin Gottlieb is an editorial writer and columnist for the Dayton Daily News opinion pages. He focuses on the political process itself and does such national issues as war, the economy, taxes and Social Security, as well as a hodge-podge of local and state issues.Home > Blogs > A Matter of Opinion > Archives > 2010 > April > 27
Tuesday, April 27, 2010
Editorial: Miamisburg should back school levy
2010 Election
Miamisburg schools asked for two levies in an unusual special election in February.
Voters passed a so-called “replacement” levy that was set to expire, but they defeated by 335 votes the proposal that would have increased their taxes.
In next week’s election, the district is trying again. Its request would cost owners of a $100,000 home about $225 more per year. If it is defeated, major cuts will be imposed.
For instance:
— 20 to 22 teachers at the elementary schools will be let go.
— as many as 20 teachers at the high school will lose their jobs.
— all extracurriculars, including sports, will be eliminated, as well as art, music and physical education.
— busing will be cut for high school students and only elementary and middle school students who live more than two miles from school will get transportation.
The reason to vote “yes” is that Miamisburg is looking at about $5 million in cuts, or more than 10 percent of its $45 million budget. Even if the levy passes, the district still will have to cut as much as $2 million.
During the past three years, the district has shaved almost $5 million in spending by imposing a hiring freeze and taking other measures. The staff also went without a raise this school year.
Like some other suburban districts, Miamisburg schools are being challenged by some residents who are taking their doubts about the district’s spending to the Web. The Web site openmiamisburg.com has information that voters may want to read, even if they don’t agree with the spin on it.
Especially in such difficult economic times, it’s naive to think that there isn’t going to be debate about raising taxes. When critics put their complaints in writing for everyone to see, at least backers of the levy and the administration know what misinformation they have to correct or, if complaints are legitimate, what they need to fix.
Miamisburg clearly is doing much right. It is rated “excellent” by the state, even as almost a third of its students are considered poor. (Most poor students come to school behind, and they often need extra attention.)
Class sizes, always a concern of parents, will have to go up if the teacher payroll is slashed. The state sets limits on how many children can be in each classroom, but most school districts try to stay below those numbers because they’re far from ideal.
If the levy fails, some sixth-, seventh- and eighth-grade classes, for example, will have more than 30 students, with the average in the mid-30s.
The school district is targeting parents to get to the polls, believing they are the most invested in keeping the schools’ quality high. That’s a smart political decision; there’s nothing deceptive or unusual about it. But the strategy frustrates critics who don’t have such a direct connection.
This pitting of people against one another is one downside of relying so much on the property tax to fund schools. In Miamisburg, only 30 percent of the schools’ operating money comes from the state.
Miamisburg has good reasons to be proud of its schools. Keeping them at a high level isn’t cheap.
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