Editor's Note:
If you voted against a school levy in Hillsdale, Loudonville-Perrysville or Mapleton, our education reporter would love to hear more from you. You can reach her at mariah@ashlandsource.com.
JEROMESVILLE — Hillsdale’s board of education voted 5-0 Tuesday to put its operating levy back on the ballot, giving voters another chance to weigh in.
That levy — a renewal — went down by a slim margin at the ballot box in November. On election night, it failed by 80 votes, with 1,780 voters against the operating levy and 1,700 voting for it.
Hillsdale had a second renewal levy on the ballot for its permanent improvement levy. After votes from Wayne County were tallied, the difference in that vote was three ballots, triggering a recount. As of Nov. 19, that recount was not scheduled.
Trevathan said that permanent improvement levy had passed. Amanda Jones, the director of the Board of Elections, said a recount took place on Nov. 26. Nothing changed with the recount of the permanent improvement levy, which means it passed by three votes.
The 20.1 mill operating levy the board voted to put back on the ballot would help the district pay for staffing, student supplies and keeping the building’s lights on, Supt. Catherine Trevathan has previously said.
Without passage of that levy, the district stands to lose $8.7 million in public utilities revenue.
Cindy Funk, Ashland County’s auditor, said public utilities include any operating within Hillsdale School District, like the Rover Pipeline or Ohio Edison. Not renewing the levy means those public utilities will pay less, she told Ashland Source.
“If somebody thought that voting no on this levy will affect their taxes, that is not correct,” Funk said.
That’s because the state Legislature requires school districts to operate at a 20-mill floor. Trevathan said Hillsdale already operates on the floor — so, “taxpayers will pay the same amount with a yes vote as a no vote.”
Should voters disapprove renewing the operating levy again, the district will be allowed to put the levy on the ballot once more.
Then, if it goes down a third time, that’s when the district could experience the $8.7 million loss. Trevathan said in November the district hasn’t talked through what cuts could happen yet.
School levy struggles
Across the county, several districts have placed levies on the ballot since the beginning of 2023. Passing those levies, however, has proved challenging.
Loudonville-Perrysville Exempted Village Schools put a bond issue and tax levy on November’s ballot, with the goal of building a new pre-K-12 school building.
Voters rejected that bond issue — one that advocates framed as a last-chance effort to address serious challenges the district’s facilities face.
Mapleton has also tried three times to pass an income tax levy to generate additional revenue. The district hasn’t passed a levy in 32 years. Its three most recent efforts have not been approved by voters.
