Strongsville resident Sean Balewski warns Strongsville school parents like him could leave the community entirely if a levy fails this November.
Strongsville City School District says it is facing major cuts if voters don't approve new funding in the upcoming election. Other districts in Northeast Ohio face similar tough choices if their levies fail on the November ballot.
Balewski said in the case of Strongsville, the district will cut much of what attracted his family to the school system in the first place. That includes music and arts, extracurriculars, and classes for high-performing students.
"That is a devastating blow to this community, to our children, to the future of this district, because overnight, these things will go away. These are not punitive threats. This is how the district needs to respond to the fact that money isn't coming in," said Balewski, chair of the For Strongsville levy committee.
Strongsville Superintendent Cameron Ryba warned the district will cut its educational offerings down to "state minimums" if the 6.7-mill, five-year levy fails.
"You're taking a look at anything that's above and beyond the school day: music that happens in the evening, marching band, electives, clubs, extracurriculars, sports, that would all be eliminated because those are enhancements to what we do, not the essential functions," Ryba explained.
School leaders say more cuts are on the way if levies don't pass
School districts across the country are facing tough decisions about how many buildings, teachers and support staff they should have, as expenses have risen and enrollment has fallen. Public school advocates also argue the state of Ohio is underfunding school districts, leading to an increased need to seek local funding from taxpayers.
Amid that backdrop, some Northeast Ohio schools like Strongsville have suffered a string of recent levy defeats that could have provided additional funding for operations.
In Strongsville, Ryba and Balewski said the district has been responsible with its finances. It made $5 million in cuts this year. The district has also spent down its cash reserve, responding to a common complaint from opponents that they have too much cash on hand. Finally, the levy itself is a reduced ask, Ryba said, constituting renewal of an older 3.4-mill levy that's expiring, along with a 3.3-mill tax increase.
If the levy doesn't pass, the district will need to cut almost $14 million from its budget, Ryba said.
"We want our district to remain the same premier district it always has been and will be into the future, but financially, we need the community to determine what kind of district we're going to have after Nov. 3," Ryba said.
Mentor Public Schools officials said they have also made concessions to try to win over levy opponents. The district reduced how much money it's asking for and cut back on administrative spending. If its levy fails in November, the district said it will have to reduce its budget by almost $10 million. That will mean cutting more than 120 positions, which will lead to larger class sizes and fewer electives, the district said on its website.
In Elyria, Superintendent Ann Schloss said if an operating levy again fails this November, the district will also need to cut staff.
"When 80% of your budget is people, right, then yes, we're going to cut more people," she said, noting the district already made cuts this year. "At the end of the day, you're going to see reductions in many areas, including... staff, possibly activities and extracurriculars, mental health support, safety services, other programs and courses and electives."
Some schools in the region, like Painesville and Willoughby-Eastlake, are considering closing school buildings if they can't get additional tax money from voters this fall.
Some districts seek income taxes
Thirteen school districts in Northeast Ohio are seeking an income tax to fund operations this fall, from Painesville to East Palestine. These income tax attempts to fund operations, instead of property tax levies, come amid a broader backlash statewide against property taxes.
One of those schools, Barberton City Schools was placed under "fiscal emergency" by the state in September despite official already cutting $7 million from its budget. That designation is based off the district predicting it will run out of money by the end of the 2026-2027 school year.
Recognizing an 11-mill property tax levy to fund operations failed by a wide margin in the spring, the district is taking a different approach this fall: a 1%, five-year "earned income tax" increase on the ballot. Earned income taxes are only levied on wages, not on retirement or social security payments, so they generally have less of an impact on retirees.
If the levy fails, school officials said the district could eliminate all athletics and extracurricular activities at the middle and high school levels and cut electives and preschool offerings.
In the spring, voters rejected most income-tax levy attempts in the region.
