ANDERSON TOWNSHIP, Ohio — The fight is on over a levy for Forest Hills School District. Some parents say their children's education depends on voters approving the levy, pleading with taxpayers to vote yes on May 2.
Citizens for Forest Hills' message was clear on the signs and stickers that filled Big Ash Brewing in Turpin Hills Tuesday night. A white checkmark with a heart around the word "yes" shows where they stand ahead of the upcoming election.
"I grew up in this district and I chose to move back here and raise my family here," said Sarah McGough, a member of Citizens for Forest Hills.
The group spent the night reminding district parents of what they say is at stake in six weeks. The Forest Hills Board of Education unanimously approved a 6.9-mill levy, which includes a 5.4-mill operating levy and a 1.5-mill permanent improvement levy, in January to deal with rising costs, inflation and revenue simply not keeping up. If the voters approve the levy, homeowners' property taxes would go up an additional $20.13 per month for a home valued at $100,000.
"We're at a point where we can't make any more cuts that won't impact the classroom and impact the level of education this community expects," McGough said.
Superintendent Larry Hook, who attended the event, said the district will have no choice but to cut nearly $1.8 million from its budget — on top of the district's already planned $750,000 in cuts at the end of the school year — if voters reject the levy.
"You’re asking people to raise their taxes, but it’s a fact. It’s what happens here in Ohio," said Hook. "Part of the funding mechanism, the message we’re trying to make sure that our people understand in the community, is that the money that you give us we are going to take care of it. We’re going to be good stewards of those dollars."
Hook also said the district is limited in the number of options they can take to help offset rising costs, pointing to HB 920, legislation passed in 1976 that is designed to keep inflation from increasing voter-approved taxes. If voters approve a tax levy, they're agreeing to pay a certain amount for a specific thing over a specific time period. Each property owner pays a portion depending on the value of their property.
Some residents who no longer have children attending school in the district are also pushing for families to vote "yes" in six weeks.
"Nobody wants to pay any more taxes I don't but when it comes to my students and future children and their families and my community how can I say no," said Kay Castle-Brinker, who lives in the district.
WCPO has not found an organized opposition group campaigning against this school levy, but at least one business owner said he's a "no" vote. Stephen Duffey owns Salem Hardware in Anderson Township and said he's against the measure because he feels things are getting more expensive, and he doesn't want to spend any more money on the school district.
