MORE DETAILS: Beavercreek cites unfunded mandates as key to levy
Back in November 2018, voters rejected an almost identical new levy (6.2 mills), by a tiny margin. The district adjusted to that vote by approving $2.6 million in cuts for the 2019-20 school year, including 15 teacher cuts, course reductions in foreign language, art and engineering, and higher pay-to-play fees.
Otten said that those cuts will not be reinstated as a result of this new levy passage, and no new programs will be added. He said Tuesday’s vote means the district will avoid further cuts this summer and the extra $11.4 million per year will help deal with “underfunded mandate costs” in areas like special education.
Voters gave a variety of responses outside the polls Tuesday. Kate Hone called the schools “a critical part of our community” that are worth the investment. Rachel Chandra voted yes, citing a need for strong programs for kids at all levels, especially with regular influx of new students from military families.
FEBRUARY: Beavercreek school board approves budget cuts
Stephen Weber said he voted for the renewal school levy, but against the new one, saying taxes are too high already. And Steve Fernandez voted no on both school levies. He said he might support a levy to build first-class facilities like some other districts have, but said for basic operating expenses, he wants the district to do a better job with current funding.
Only 29 percent of registered voters voted on the Beavercreek school levies, compared with 66 percent in November.
District officials had asked residents to compare Beavercreek to the schools the state says are most similar based on size and demographics. Of the 10 most similar districts (a list that includes Centerville, Dublin, Mason and Lakota), Beavercreek ranks third-best in state test performance, gets the third-least state funding per pupil, and is exactly in the middle in spending per pupil.
“We’ve got to continue doing what we’re doing,” Otten said. “We have to look at everything to save money, because we want to extend this as long as we possibly can. This is not a blank check.”
NOVEMBER: Beavercreek levy fails, Career Center passes
Otten said he could not make any promise about how many years Beavercreek schools would stay off the ballot, citing fluctuations in the state’s funding model and requirements.
There was some question of how a crowded ballot would affect the levy outcome, as voters were also considering a small renewal school levy, the city’s renewal streets levy and a parks levy that included a small tax increase. All four levies passed, with the large school levy the only relatively close vote, at a 53-47 ratio.
This school levy followed the same pattern as Beavercreek’s 2017 substitute school levy, which was very narrowly rejected on the first try, then passed six months later.
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