Levy supporters
Group to
stress value of strong schools
Other side of district spending story to be
told by newly formed 'Educate
By CANDY BROOKS
ThisWeek
Staff Writer
Strong schools may equal a strong community, but that is not the
whole story.
On May 2, residents will be asked to vote on the levy, which is a
combined 5-mill continuing operating levy and 1.65-mill, five-year permanent
improvements levy.
If approved, it will cost the owners of a $100,000 house an
additional $191 annually. That property owner already pays $1,277 a year to the
schools.
Or, as critics are now pointing out, the levy will cost the owner
of a $233,400 house (the average house value in
The pro-levy campaign is up and running, being led by Liberty
Elementary parents Jon and Aurora Bloom and retired resident Saul Seigel.
Their pitch will be "strong schools equal a strong
community."
"We are trying to stress the benefit to schools and to kids
and how supporting the levy strengthens the community and makes it a place
where people want to live, and it helps everyone's property values," said
Jon Bloom.
On the other side of the issue are plenty of residents, as
evidenced by the turnout of vocal opponents at forums held last month, and a
new organization called Educate Worthington.
The purpose of the group is not to oppose the levy, but to provide
the community information regarding district spending that may not be shared by
the levy supporters, said Educate Worthington co-founder Mike Alfred.
"It's about educating people enough to see there might be
more than one side to the story," he said.
While the pro-levy committee is preparing to try to reach the
community with literature drops, yard signs, advertising and presentations to
community groups, Educate Worthington is a low-cost organization that depends
primarily on its Web site (www.educateworthington.org) to spread its information.
Bloom said he was aware that the levy request has its critics.
"There is a lot of misinformation out there and
misunderstanding of why levies are needed as often as they are," Bloom
said.
Part of his group's challenge is to help voters understand that
the system faced by all school districts in
When a levy is approved, he explained, it provides the district
with a set amount of dollars. That amount does not increase at the rate of
inflation.
This will be the third levy
The system needs to be changed or better understood, Bloom said.
"It creates a public perception of mismanagement and waste
when that is not really the case," he said.
The Educate Worthington Web site does not mention mismanagement or
waste, but does question the district's spending priorities.
"Children and the community come in last as we decide how to
spend our dollars," Alfred said.
Eighty-five percent of the district's budget is "spent very
generously" on staff, he said.
He wondered if the school board was thinking of children and the
community when it approved the latest teachers' contract, which granted an
average raise of 5.65 percent to teachers this year.
The U.S. Department of Labor reports the average wage increase for
American workers was 2.6 percent in 2005.
It is the generous raises that explain how a district with
declining enrollment has a budget that continues to grow.
Between 1995 and 2005, district enrollment went from 10,818 to
9,562 -- a loss of 1,256 students. At the same time, spending increased from
$67.9-million to $105.5-million.
Projections show that trend continuing and, with the coming loss
of state funds due to the elimination of the tangible taxes paid by businesses,
a need for even more property taxes in the near future.
Worthington Treasurer Jonathan Boyd has said that, even if the
5.25-mill levy is approved this year, the district will ask voters to approve a
10-mill levy in two years.
"Regardless of what happens on May 2, we still need to see if
we are on a maintainable path," Alfred said.