Toledo Public Schools officials say they kept their promises to voters the last time they put a levy on the ballot, and they intend to do the same should Issue 9 pass in November.
Issue 9, a five-year, 6.5-mill operating levy, would generate about $13 million annually if approved. The millage first passed in 2000 as a three-year measure and was last renewed in 2013. The renewed levy would continue to cost the owner of a $100,000 home about $178 a year, officials said.
“The renewal of Issue 9 brings about financial stability within this community,” TPS Superintendent Romules Durant said. “At the same time, renewing Issue 9 allows us to continue our progress with the educational endeavors of our school district.”
Mr. Durant, along with board members Chris Varwig, Polly Taylor-Gerken, Stephanie Eichenberg, and Bob Vasquez, on Monday made the case for the levy renewal by touting the district’s successes since 2014, the last time voters approved a levy for the district. That tax increase was the first new-money levy TPS passed since 2001, and district officials said then that they’d stay off the ballot for several years.
“Probably our most high-profile promise during the 2014 campaign was to bring back busing for Toledo school children. This is a promise that we kept,” Ms. Varwig said. “Completing this is a huge operation, which would not be possible without the support of the Toledo taxpayers.”
In addition to restoring its bus service, TPS also said it would create new programs and improve students’ access to technology. Ms. Taylor-Gerken said the district has grown its internship and job shadow opportunities with local businesses, purchased Chrome books for students to use in classrooms, and expanded its College Credit Plus program, which allows students to complete college courses while still in high school.
“Our College Credit Plus program continues to be a success for our students, with the number of 2016 seniors enrolled doubling from the seniors the year before,” she said. “In total, TPS students have earned more than 750 college credits while attending high school.”
Ms. Eichenberg said the district became smarter with its money and used levy dollars to return the gifted program to students in grades five and six. She said the levy renewal needs to pass in order for an expansion of the gifted program into seventh grade to be successful.
Mr. Vasquez said renewing the levy will help the district work toward providing teachers and staff with more competitive salaries.
“We have a ways to go, but we’re going to continue down that track,” he said.
The fifth board member, Perry Lafevre, could not make the event because of a work commitment.
Officials said they don’t have a set game plan should the renewal fail in November, though it would likely spur cuts to the district’s operating budget, which is about $370 million.
“In the event that it doesn’t [pass], the district will come back together,” Mr. Durant said. “We always make collective decisions.”
Contact Sarah Elms at selms@theblade.com, 419-724-6103, or on Twitter @BySarahElms.
First Published October 23, 2017, 8:29 p.m.
