ORANGE TOWNSHIP — A new levy for the Mapleton Local School District will be on the ballot in May.
It’s all but official.
At its Monday meeting, Mapleton’s board of education approved a second reading of the district’s proposed levy, sending it off to the Ashland County Board of Elections to finalize the process and get it on the ballot.
But for now, the school board’s work on the levy is done, treasurer Katy Wiley said.
“Now it’s up to the taxpayers,” she said.
The levy will create a .75-percent earned income tax that would generate $1,002,992 for the district annually. Without the levy, the district could start deficit spending within the year and deplete its cash reserves in about five years, Wiley added.
The last time Mapleton passed a new levy, excluding the district’s building levy, was in 1992. Since then, the district has managed its financial situation, strained by declining enrollment, by cutting teachers and classified staff.
“Since (superintendent) Scott’s been here, we’ve tried to adjust every year to enrollment. So hopefully, your enrollment will start going up and you can start bringing people back,” Wiley said.
The board also elected new leadership on Monday, making board member Shawn Grundy president and Tim McKean vice president.
