By the numbers
- Issue 3: Renewal of a three-year emergency levy to support Lebanon City Schools
- 52: Percentage of voters who originally approved the tax in November 2005
- 59: Percentage of voters who first renewed the tax in March 2008
- 5.41 mills: Millage being levied on property owners
- $165: Annual cost to the owner of a $100,000 home
- $4.2 million: Revenue generated by the tax for the schools
Sources: School and county records
LEBANON — Voters will have the opportunity on election day to renew their support for Lebanon City Schools.
Issue 3 will ask voters on Nov. 2 to renew a three-year emergency levy that provides $4.2 million annually for the 5,400-student district.
Superintendent Mark North said a vote for the levy is a vote for maintaining the district’s current services, programs and staffing levels “without increasing taxes.”
“Passage will only maintain current programs and services. A defeat will result in significant cuts to staffing, programs and services,” North said.
Voters can get an idea about the district’s finances by walking into the lobby of any of its six schools. There voters will find large poster boards on display that show a variety of key facts, including the district’s growth in enrollment, how much revenue is coming in and where it is spent.
School records show that, in the last five years, the district’s budget has been reduced by approximately $5 million. Cuts were made to staff, programs and services, particularly in 2005 when a budget shortfall was discovered and the emergency levy was first put on the ballot.
Eric Meilstrup, parent and treasurer of the pro-levy group Citizens for Quality Lebanon Schools, said voters should support the levy because it is sustaining an excellent district and because a successful school system is “good for the community.”
“I think the district has been responsible with our tax dollars,” Meilstrup said. “When you compare us to our peers, as far as spending per student, I believe we’re very fiscally responsible.”
For the 2008-09 school year, Lebanon’s per pupil expenditure was $7,822, about $1,100 less than similar districts; that’s one of the lowest rates in the state, according to the Ohio Department of Education.
Voter Mary Herald said she supports the levy.
“My kids are all grown, but I think we need to help the school system,” Herald said.
Lebanon resident Mary Roth said she hasn’t decided whether she’ll vote for the levy.
“I know they say it won’t raise my taxes, but my taxes seem to keep going up. My house payment seems to always go up,” Roth said. “I know the schools need the support, but I just haven’t decided yet.”
Contact this reporter at (513) 696-4542 or rwilson@coxohio.com.
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