Granville, other county schools seeking funds

GRANVILLE — Granville schools asked voters to OK a 5.5-mill levy for operating expenses in November 2013.

Turnout was low, with fewer than 36 percent of those registered casting ballots, and the issue squeaked by with 54 votes to spare.

“It was very tight,” said Superintendent Jeff Brown.

In the five years since, Brown said, the Granville school board and administration have taken the margin to heart and are proposing a different approach to the district’s funding needs. On the May 8 ballot, they’re asking voters to approve a 5-year, 1.25 percent income tax, working to diversify the funding base with a mix of income and property taxes.

“It’s a balanced approach,” he said. “Everybody pays to support the schools.”

Granville is one of two districts in Licking County with new money issues on the primary ballot. The other is Northridge Local, which is seeking an income tax/bond issue for new construction and building renovations.

A number of other area districts also are on the ballot, hoping voters will agree to continue existing tax issues.

Johnstown-Monroe Local is seeking renewal of a 1 percent income tax and a 6.9-mill emergency levy. The latter would cost about $211 per $100,000 of valuation, a decrease of about $28 over what property owners are currently paying.

Property owners currently pay about $238 per $100,000 in valuation, according to the Licking County auditor’s office. The district has about 1,600 students and an annual general revenue budget of more than $16.5 million.

Newark City Schools is asking voters to renew a 7-mill emergency levy that will cost about $214 per $100,000 of valuation, down about $3 a month from what property owners currently pay. The district has about 6,300 students and an annual budget of $67.5 million.

In Granville, there’s been no vocal or organized opposition to the school income tax issue, though Brown said he’s been answering questions and working to explain the proposal to residents. The district has an enrollment of nearly 2,500 students and an annual operating budget of $29.4 million.

If approved, the district would allow two existing levies to expire, cutting property tax bills by about 5 percent in the process, Brown said.

The new tax on earned income would raise an estimated $16.8 million over five years. In that time, however, the district would see a reduction of more than $12 million in its coffers, via a combination of the expiring property tax levies, expected capital costs and other spending.

Translated, Brown said, that means the new income tax would net the district about $4 million over five years to deal with unexpected costs.

And that, he said, would help to provide a buffer against Statehouse changes to school funding, with a new administration coming into office next year. The proceeds also would help cover the costs to maintain and upgrade school buildings and build an adequate cash reserve for unexpected expenses.

There are no plans for new facilities or other largerscale projects, Brown said. Rather, the district is looking to maintain its existing facilities, the newest of which was built 15 years ago.