Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Education Finance topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Beavercreek school-board candidates back mental-health supports; levy renewal framed as maintaining services
Summary
School-board candidates at the forum discussed student mental-health services, district finances and the Nov. 4 renewal levy that supporters said keeps $18.5 million a year for operations.
Candidates for the Beavercreek Board of Education emphasized continuity of student services and financial transparency at the Beavercreek Women's League forum, and supporters said a Nov. 4 levy renewal is intended to sustain operations, not raise taxes.
Jan Marie Bales, president of Citizens for Beavercreek Schools, described the renewal as "not a new tax" and said it brings in $18.5 million a year, representing more than 16% of the district's budget. "Voters already pay it today, and renewing it means keeping things steady," she said. Bales and several board candidates warned that changes in state law could make a future replacement levy more expensive for taxpayers because the state's 12.5% contribution would not apply to new levies.
Candidate Claire Shinske said the district gets about 17% of its funding from the state and about 7% from federal sources, and that the remainder is largely local property tax. "The state funding model gives Beavercreek that state minimum, accounting for just 17% of the district's overall budget," she said, adding that local levies remain essential to cover services.
Several candidates addressed mental-health resources in schools. Krista Hunt noted that the district had won grant funding to place social workers in buildings but said the grant had recently ended and the district would need to cover those positions if grants are not renewed. "That will probably cost money from taxpayers to support those kinds of things," she said. Board member Joanne Ragano, running for reelection, described a three-tier model of support and highlighted a recent $2.1 million grant to expand world-language programming.
Candidates said they review fiscal plans, pursue competitive grants and use a five-year forecast to guide spending. Carl Fisher pointed to efforts to modernize public documentation and to improved communication; other candidates noted the district ranks in the top academic performance tiers while spending comparatively little per pupil.
The levy on the Nov. 4 ballot was described at the forum as a renewal that, if passed, preserves existing services. No board action or vote was taken at the forum.
Voters will decide the renewal on Nov. 4; candidates urged voters to read district financial documents and attend public forums before the election.
