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Lorain City Schools officials say two renewal levies, not new taxes, will be on November ballot as district faces multimillion-dollar shortfalls
Summary
District officials told the board two renewal levies — one originally approved in 1991–92 and another in 2012 — will appear on the Nov. ballot and stressed they are not tax increases. Officials described $7.4 million in recent spending cuts, savings from benefit changes, and unexpected revenue losses from federal, state and county funding.
Lorain City Schools officials told the Board of Education on Oct. 27 that two renewal levies will be on the Nov. ballot and emphasized the measures are renewals, not new taxes. An unnamed district official said one levy traces to 1991–92 and the other to 2012.
"A renewal levy, for schools anyway, whatever was originally passed, the school district cannot collect any more money than that," the district representative said during the meeting. The speaker said the district has been collecting the same amounts that were originally authorized and that the levies would continue those collections rather than increase taxes.
The official summarized recent budget actions the district has taken: $4.7 million in cuts in the 2023–24 school year and another $2.7 million in reductions for 2024–25; roughly $900,000 in health care savings; and additional savings from a teacher severance program that lowered future payroll costs. That total of identified cuts and savings was presented by the district as part of its effort to reduce expenditures.
Officials also told the board the district experienced unanticipated revenue losses this year, including about $900,000 in federal funding and $4.1 million from the state, with a possible additional loss of about $1 million from the county, all after the district's budget was set over the summer. "So right now, we are in a tough spot financially," the district speaker said.
Board members moved to approve related treasurer items listed as 8.01–8.03; the items were taken up and approved on a roll call during the meeting.
Why it matters: Renewal levies preserve an existing level of school funding rather than raise taxes, but the district says the revenue environment has changed since those levies were first approved and that recent cuts and unexpected funding reductions leave the district facing material budgetary pressure. If voters approve the renewals, the district would continue to collect previously authorized amounts; if not, officials did not specify exact program impacts during the meeting.
The board scheduled further discussion of district finances for a future meeting, and members indicated the community would be kept informed about the levy questions and budget planning.
