CINCINNATI — Cincinnati voters will decide this November whether to approve Issue 4 — a property tax levy projected to raise $66.3 million a year for Cincinnati Public Schools. If passed, it would be the first new operating levy for the district in nearly a decade.
Early voting is already underway in Ohio. Supporters say the levy is critical to keep CPS financially stable. Opponents argue now is the wrong time to ask taxpayers for more money.
On a recent Monday afternoon near North Avondale Montessori, the campaign for Cincinnati Public Schools wasn't happening in a boardroom. It was happening on a sidewalk, with handmade signs, honking cars, and parents who say they're fighting for the future of their kids.
WATCH: Cincinnati voters will decide on Issue 4 this November
Ian Rexroad, a CPS parent with three children in the district, said the need for new funding is clear.
"The money got to come from somewhere!" Rexroad said.
Rexroad said the levy is needed to help close a growing funding gap and prevent deeper financial trouble for the district.
"It's going to help replace some, not all, of the funding that Ohio has withdrawn in recent years," Rexroad said.
He said the levy isn't about wanting to pay more — it's about what happens if the money isn't there.
"We don't want to have to be here. But our hand is forced, and if Columbus isn't going to protect our kids, we will," Rexroad said.
Not all in Cincinnati appear to be in favor of the levy. During a CPS meeting discussing the district's financial situation, one community member questioned the district's need.
"It is unfair in a time when we are going through economic turmoil to ask people who are struggling because they don't have money because fuel is going up; for folks who don't have access to food to then contribute to a failing system!" a Cincinnati taxpayer said.
As parents and students rallied in Avondale in support of Issue 4, others on the west side took a more old-school approach — sitting down, pen in hand, writing postcards to voters at what organizers called a CPS levy party. They hoped one message might turn into one more yes vote.
Nancy Sullivan, a CPS volunteer and former CPS Hughes parent, said the district's resources matter deeply for all students.
"I know how critical, whether it is bilingual social workers, or the meals, how critical those are to students of whatever color or wherever they're from. We know that COVID created some deficits in reading and other areas. There's just more students with needs!" Sullivan said.
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