Parma City School District board votes to place 1.75% income-tax levy on ballot amid dispute over program cuts
Summary
The Parma City School District Board of Education voted to submit a 1.75% earned-income tax to voters, prompting debate over a roughly $12.5 million in required cost reductions and the recent decision to close the PAGE program. Board members and parents pressed administration for transparent plans before taxpayers are asked to approve new revenue.
The Parma City School District Board of Education voted to place a 1.75% school-district earned-income tax on the ballot, approving Resolution 2026-01-45 after extended debate about budget cuts, timing and transparency. The vote followed a series of presentations from district staff and emotional public comments from families affected by the recent decision to close the PAGE program.
Board Treasurer Sean Nusio summarized how a district income tax would be collected by the Ohio Department of Taxation and outlined several forecast scenarios. Nusio said the district submitted the required paperwork under the state’s 100-day rule and described combinations of levy renewals and income tax scenarios the board could pursue. He also clarified that collection of an approved income tax would not begin until January following the election.
Several board members said they supported taking the question to voters while reserving strong expectations for transparency. “I need to see detailed transparent plan for the approximately now 12,500,000.0 in required cost reductions,” said Missus Sebastian after voting to place the levy on the ballot, adding that she expects “regular updates, transparency and planning, and ongoing board engagement” as collection and planning proceed.
Board member Miss McTaggart opposed putting the question on the ballot without clearer answers about what cuts would be made if the measure failed or passed. “I can’t ask anyone for additional money” without knowing where proposed cuts would fall, she said, arguing that parents’ questions about program impacts had gone unanswered.
Parents who spoke during public comment urged the board not to eliminate PAGE, a program that provides gifted services and supports for students with mixed needs. Jamie Knapp, a PAGE parent, said the closure “felt like a gut punch” and described her daughter’s progress in the program. Knapp asked what “specific daily social-emotional supports will be in place in the elementary buildings to replace that safe-haven environment these children are losing.” The superintendent and treasurer committed to follow up with parents within 72 hours and to meet with families in February.
The meeting also included discussion of a separate fiscal issue: an $11.7 million county property-tax overpayment that the district negotiated to repay over three years. Treasurer Nusio said the county agreed to reduce emergency-levy millage over three years, effectively returning the overpayment in installments (about $3.9 million per year). Several board members asked why the board had not been more involved in the repayment plan and how the repayment affects the district’s five-year forecast.
After discussion, the board approved Resolution 2026-01-45 to submit the 1.75% earned-income tax question to the electors. The motion passed by roll call (majority approval recorded). Board members who voted to approve emphasized this was a decision to ask voters for a long-term funding option, not a promise about future actions; they repeatedly requested more detailed cut scenarios, property-tax relief options and frequent updates to the board and community.
Next steps: district staff said they will present updated five-year-forecast materials at the February 12 meeting, coordinate follow-up meetings with PAGE families, and produce more detailed information on the planned cost reductions and renewal-levy scenarios.
