Board:
Lots of input on levy needed
Worthington City School District
Treasurer Jonathan Boyd presented a revised five-year financial forecast to
board members Monday night, predicting a double-digit deficit for the district
by 2009.
Boyd's projections come as
the school district rushes to place a levy on the May 2 ballot. To do that, the
board must file a resolution with the Franklin County Board of Elections in the
next 34 days.
"If you look at the
forecast for 2009, the deficit is $22.9 million," Boyd said. "Those
dollars need to be made up by a levy or continued reductions to staff and
operations."
The district has explored a
variety of levy options in recent months. Board members must decide what type
of operating levy to place on the ballot and whether it should be combined with
a permanent-improvement request as well.
An operating levy provides
for ongoing expenses such as teacher salaries; money raised by a
permanent-improvement levy must be used for items such as buses, computers and
textbooks.
The board has two scheduled
meetings before the Feb. 16 levy-request deadline. In addition, a public
hearing to discuss tax options will be held at
At Monday's meeting, Boyd
passed out a form that listed different levy options -- ranging from a
temporary levy to a permanent levy to a replacement levy, all of which would be
based on property taxes, Boyd said. An income-tax levy also was listed.
If the board decides on an income-tax
levy, "we will need a longer dialogue with community," Boyd said.
"It takes roughly 18 months to collect those taxes, so if the income levy
is approved in '06, by June of '07 we'd probably collect 6 percent,"
compared to a property-tax levy, which would collect 52 percent by that date,
he said.
Boyd noted that an
operating levy would require two resolutions to be passed by the board before
the deadline.
"The resolution will
have to run by the (
But the clock is ticking,
and resident feedback on the levy options is essential, said board member David
Bressman.
"We're in a short time
frame here and we're sticking our poor superintendent in to decide on a school
levy," Bressman said, referring to Superintendent Melissa Conrath, who
began her job last week. "I'd like to get a lot more than a little input
from the community. In order to do that they need access to information ... (we
need to) publish as much information as we can so (residents) can help us
decide what combinations, if any, are appropriate."
Though the May 2 ballot is
ideal, Boyd said, the levy request could be held for the Nov. 7 ballot, which
would allow the board more time to decide on the amount and type of levy
request.
Tyack said the goal is to
have a decision on the five-year financial forecast by the board's Jan. 23
meeting. Boyd urged board members to provide feedback, since his forecast will
be the basis for determining the size and scope of the levy.
Also at the meeting, board
members voted to rehire Boyd as treasurer of the school district. Boyd
announced his retirement earlier this year, returning immediately to the
position in order to take advantage of his pension plan.