WESTERVILLE, Ohio -- Voters in the Westerville City School District must decide whether to approve an 11.4-mill operating levy this November.
The replacement levy would restore the original millage approved in 1972 and 1979.
The owner of a $150,000 home would pay an increase of about $1 a day.
Parents who support the levy say their children succeed with resources and teachers that spend countless hours with their kids.
Opponents say the district spends too much on salaries and benefits (82 percent) and that pay cuts are in order.
District officials said they spend less on compensation than similar districts in the state.
Our Community, Our Schools is a volunteer organization that supports the levy.
Opponent Robert Edwards runs a Web site called LevyFacts.com that spells out why he thinks the district needs to cut expenses.
The district says it has already cut $11 million to balance its budget and address revenue shortfalls created by a weak economy.
If the levy fails, no transportation would be provided in the 2010-11 school year for high school students. Middle school students who live within two miles would have to walk.
“I’m going to vote for it. I mean, only because I’ve experienced it first hand what these teachers and this administration does. I mean they work single-handedly with each student, making sure that each one of them gets to the next level, each one gets to college, you know. I mean, how could you put a price on that?” said Robert Jeter, a Westerville voter.
Jeter said his son has improved 100 percent since moving to Westerville from Youngstown.
Westerville was ranked in the Top 15 of Money Magazine's list of Top Places to live in the USA. Parents say that is due in large part to the quality of its schools.
“I really can’t afford it right now. I’m in between jobs, but my wife’s going back to work. We’ll manage. But one of the reasons we maintain and live in Westerville is because we do like the school system here,” said Robert Wright, a Westerville voter.
Wright said quality has come at a price as his taxes have doubled in the last 16 years.
Other schools have levies on the November ballot.
Reynoldsburg, South-Western City and Worthington schools are each asking for operating levies on Nov. 3.
Reynoldsburg has a 9.9-mill levy. South-Western City Schools has a 7.4-mill levy and Worthington is asking voters to approve a 3.9-mill levy that increases to 6.9 mills by 2011.
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