NANKIN — Mapleton Local Schools has eliminated five teaching positions and six classified staff positions — like bus drivers and paraprofessionals — in the last three years, according to the district’s superintendent, Scott Smith.
The board has bumped up athletic fees and tried to find new revenue sources, Smith added.
Still, the district anticipates more cuts without the passage of a levy to generate more revenue.
This fall, a 0.75% income tax levy is on the ballot for voter approval. It would generate an estimated $1 million annually to pay for expenses.
For people who make $50,000 a year, the tax would cost $31.25 per month. It wouldn’t tax income from retirement, Social Security, pensions, interest and dividends, according to previous Ashland Source reporting.
The school board has tried to pass a levy twice since the start of 2022. In May 2022, the district attempted to forward a five-year, 3.2 mills property tax levy. It failed by 32 percentage points that year.
Earlier this year, in May, Mapleton tried again. It placed a 0.75% income tax levy on the ballot for voters. Again, the levy failed — this time by 16%.
If voters approve the levy this fall, it would be the first time Mapleton Local Schools has passed a new levy in 32 years. Smith said if it passes, the district would still be paying attention to its fiscal responsibilities.
“We’ve done a lot with our report card, and made some increases. That takes resources,” Smith said. “The passage of the levy will allow us to maintain our levels and maybe even bring some more support services to our students, whether they’re academic or social and emotional.”
Should voters fail to pass the levy, according to Smith, empty positions due to teachers retiring will likely go unfilled. Teachers’ class sizes might go up and options for students may be reduced, Smith said.
“We manage,” said Katy Wiley, the district’s treasurer. “We’ve managed for a lot of years. But we’ve done a lot of cuts.”
Addressing misconceptions
Wiley said there have been confusions about the district’s deficit thanks to its five-year forecast from the state.
Ashland Source has previously reported that the district would see a deficit with potential to grow to $484,000 by 2026. Those numbers, though, don’t show up in the five-year forecast.
“We’ve already made reductions so that we’re not showing the deficit,” Smith said. “If we did not make those cuts, then we would be deficit-spending in the forecast.”
Wiley added that when a district is deficit spending, the state asks them to figure out what can be eliminated, so it’s not in deficit spending anymore.
“Expenses are going up while we’re still doing our cuts,” Wiley said.
According to financial data from Ohio School Report Cards, Mapleton Local Schools spends less per student than the state average by around $800.
Only about 28% of the district’s funding comes from local sources. Statewide, districts receive about 41.5% of their funding from local sources, according to the report card website.
Time for Mapleton
Smith said he doesn’t know what the public perception of the levy is.
“I don’t have a good feel of where the community stands,” Smith said. “We haven’t passed one in 32 years, so history is somewhat against us when it comes to a levy.
“The financial climate now, with the reappraisal in Ashland County and some pending legislation from Columbus that may impact school funding in a good way or a bad way depending on how that legislation goes — there’s a lot of variables not only in our households, but around the state.”
A group of around 20 parents, teachers, board members and other community members have taken it on themselves to venture out and talk to voters about it, though. That group refers to itself as the “Time for Mapleton Levy Committee.”
According to Vince Hartzler, one of the group’s members, the committee assembled during the attempt to pass a levy in May. Their efforts to drum up support for a levy have been ongoing for about nine months.
Hartzler, who is also a member of the Mapleton Local Schools Board of Education and currently running for a full term, said the group has tried to attend school activities to talk about the levy. They also have a Facebook group where they’ve been sharing information.
“It’s hard to get a grip on what attitudes are,” Hartzler said.
He said some people have been supportive, while others have been non-committal or said they won’t be voting. Still, Hartzler is cautiously optimistic, and said the committee will continue working to get voters information about the levy.
“We’re trying to do the best we can for students in Mapleton Local Schools, who often give back to the community as well,” Hartzler said.
How to vote
Early voting and absentee voting by mail began in Ohio on Oct. 11. To vote early in Ashland County, you can visit the Ashland County Board of Elections. It’s open in Ashland at 110 Cottage St.
You can also cast a ballot on Election Day, Nov. 7. You’ll need to visit your designated polling place between 6:30 a.m. and 7:30 p.m. on Nov. 7 if you choose to vote on Election Day. You can find your polling location here: https://www.ohiosos.gov/elections/voters/toolkit/polling-location/.
For more of Ashland Source’s local elections coverage, follow this link.
