Lorain Schools to ask voters for support on 11-mill operating levy

LORAIN — Voters in the Lorain school district will see an 11-mill levy on the ballot this spring. The Board of Education unanimously approved putting the issue to voters following a lengthy executive session Monday. If passed, the 11-mill levy would raise about $10.7 million each year to fund district operating costs. It would cost the owner of a $100,000 home an additional $385 per year in property taxes, or about $32 each month. "I believe our community will rally in support," Superintendent Jeff Graham said Tuesday. "I think they understand what is going on in the state, they know this is not a Lorain-specific issue (and) our children deserve quality programs." Candidly, Graham said Tuesday morning, the district needs closer to a 22-mill levy to fully offset budget cuts at the state, local and federal level, but he believed that would be an unrealistic ask of taxpayers. He noted a bond issue passed in the 2000s to pay for new schools throughout the district recently rolled off collections, saving taxpayers about $100 per year. He hoped those same voters would reinvest those dollars into Lorain's students. The board previously considered 9.9-mill and 13.37-mill alternatives before settling on the 11-mill option on Monday. Residents have not passed a new property tax levy for the district since 2012. It most recently sought new operating funds in 2021, with a 6.8-mill, five-year levy that would have generated about $4 million each year. It failed by fewer than 500 votes that November. Last year, voters renewed two property tax issues that generate about $14 million each year for the district. Even with the 11-mill levy, the district faces millions in budget cuts for the 2026-27 school year. Of the schools' roughly $110 million operating budget, the cuts in the upcoming school year account for about 16 percent. The district previously slashed about $6 million, Graham said, which cut away the "fat and cut into the bone," he said. "This is going to hurt," he said of the anticipated $18 million in cuts. Lorain Schools is in the process of outlining those proposed cuts to the Ohio Department of Education and Workforce in a plan expected to be discussed at a board meeting later this month. The human side of those cuts cannot be underestimated, he said. For every program cut or classroom size increase, it costs someone their livelihood. "From every single angle, this is awful," he said, adding there are other proposed reductions looming at the state level as legislators in Columbus look to reduce property tax burdens across the state. Lorain Schools plans to survey its staff and families to determine priorities for its budget moving forward, he said. If the 11-mill levy passes, it will keep the district afloat through 2030 and allow it to bring back some programming it may have otherwise ended due to budget constraints. Contact Carissa Woytach at (440) 329-7245 or cwoytach@chroniclet.com.