Parma Heights council issues proclamation backing Parma City School District operating levy

Mayor Marie Gallo and members of the Parma Heights City Council on Oct. 14 read and endorsed a proclamation declaring the city’s support for the Parma City School District’s operating levy, Issue 49, which voters will consider on Nov. 4.

"The City of Parma Heights supports the Parma City School District Operating Levy — Issue 49," Gallo read into the record and said passage would provide operating revenue needed to avoid deep cuts to teachers, programming and student services. She said the city has a long history of supporting levies and bond issues and asked councilmembers to speak to the importance of the measure.

Council President Tom Rounds and other members voiced unanimous support at the meeting, with Rounds saying elected officials who came before them passed levies while he was a student and that the council would make adjustments to ensure students receive a quality education. Gallo said state funding cuts and voucher policy discussions from Columbus reduce local resources and make the levy important for Parma Heights residents who attend district schools.

Why it matters: Council and the mayor framed Issue 49 as a local funding mechanism to maintain classroom staffing, student services and other district operations amid rising costs and flat state aid. The proclamation does not itself change district funding; it is a formal statement of municipal support ahead of the Nov. 4 election.

Next steps: The proclamation was entered into the meeting record on Oct. 14. The levy will appear on the Nov. 4, 2025 ballot; no formal municipal funding action was taken at the meeting.