MOUNT HEALTHY, Ohio — Mount Healthy City Schools will keep student programs and staff members after voters approved a 0.75% earned income tax levy in Ohio's Tuesday primary — the district's first levy win since 2003.
The levy is the only school levy to pass on the May ballot.
Superintendent Dr. Sarah Wilson said she felt the relief immediately when results came in.
"Literally was jumping up and down in my living room ... just yelling, this has been a long time coming," Wilson said.
WATCH: What the levy's passage means for Mt. Healthy students, staff and parents
The district has been in fiscal emergency since 2024, a situation stemming from a prior financial error. A 3-mill levy failed three times before the earned income tax measure succeeded, forcing the district to cut more than 100 staff positions and school transportation while leaning on a five-year financial plan.
With the levy now approved, Wilson said programs that define the student experience are no longer on the chopping block.
"Extracurriculars, athletics, our special area programs, all the things we know make school a good experience ... we don't have to cut those things now, which is a wonderful feeling," Wilson said.
For parents like Diana Irving, PTO president, the stakes were deeply personal. Irving said her son, who has special needs, found his confidence through the Mount Healthy band.
"My son has special needs, and he's a member of Mt. Healthy band," she said. "The band has brought him out his shell ... when I heard he may not have that, I knew he would be devastated, and I would be devastated."
Irving said she believes she played a role in winning over skeptical community members.
"When you sit down and speak to them and tell them, actually, what happened and what this new superintendent's plans were, they said, 'OK, Diana, I'll give them one more chance.' And that's all we needed, one more chance. And now it's time to do the hard work," Irving said.
Wilson said rebuilding community trust was central to the campaign's success.
"We have been working so hard as a district to build back trust with the community and build back partnerships and help our community see we are good stewards of public dollars and want what's best for kids," Wilson said.
Wilson said the levy victory could signal something broader for public schools in the region.
"It shows what can happen when a community comes together to fight for schools," Wilson said. "Hopefully, people are learning more and learning now about schools' funding and what's happening at the state level."
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