FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Tuesday, May 14, 2019
BEXLEY BOARD OF EDUCATION: NOVEMBER BALLOT NEEDED FOR DAILY OPERATING BUDGET
BEXLEY, OH— The Bexley Board of Education passed the first of two required resolutions needed in order to place an operating levy on the November 5, 2019 ballot yesterday. The second vote, which officially places the issue on the ballot, is expected to occur in June.
The operating levy will fund the continued day-to-day operations of the school district and allow the district to maintain the current staffing, programs and services. It is the district’s first operating levy request in nine years.
In the nine years since the last operating levy, the district has received minimal new funding from the state, used its cash balance to absorb inflationary growth and seen an 18% increase in student enrollment. Student enrollment is projected to increase over the next 10 years.
“As a school district we have done our part to ensure fiscal responsibility and to be excellent stewards of our limited resources,” said Board of Education President John Barno. “Now, and for the first time in nine years, we are asking Bexley voters for the needed funds in order to maintain the excellence in our schools and to provide the opportunities for our students that our community expects.”
In the last nine years the district has not made any major academic programming or technology changes and teachers have received minimal raises for several years. This levy, however, would allow the district to maintain what we have while allowing Bexley City School District to provide enough teachers and instructional assistants for students, offer a wide range of activities and provide learning opportunities that are comparable to other top rated districts in central Ohio.
The school board expects passage of the November 5th levy to meet the operational needs of the district for the next three years and plans to return Bexley Schools to a typical three-year school funding cycle. In a three-year operating levy cycle requests for additional funding are typically smaller and allow more consistent and reliable funding to maintain staffing, programs and services available to students.
"The request for the November ballot has been thoroughly vetted and comes with a clear plan to direct funds to students and the classroom," said Board of Education Vice President Marlee Snowdon. "We will continue our work and responsible stewardship of funding to boost student achievement and opportunities."
The November ballot issue will be approximately a nine-mill operating issue. The official number will be available once the auditor has certified the millage amount needed. Nine mills amounts to approximately $26 per month or $315 per year for each $100,000 of home market value.
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For more information, please contact Gianna Harrison at [email protected]