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Lordstown schools prep for levy renewal

LORDSTOWN — The district is working for voter approval of two renewal levies on the April 28 primary ballot.

Interim Superintendent Lew Lowery said while Gov. Mike DeWine’s orders have all schools closed until May 1, for now, the district is focusing on the renewal school levies. Students currently are engaged in online learning while out of school.

Lowery said he is not sure what effect the absentee ballot and mail-in voting method will play in the upcoming election.

“We hope for passage of the levies,” he said.

The district has a 6.10-mill, five-year renewal levy that brings in $599,621 and a 5.6-mill, five-year renewal levy that brings in $550,472, according to school district website. The levies combined generate about 23 percent of the district’s operating budget.

Former schools Superintendent Terry Armstrong, who is now treasurer for Newton Falls schools, had said last year when the levies were placed on the ballot that the district has worked to make needed improvements without asking for any new money since 2001.

He had said the district continues to operate on the second-lowest millage out of the 20 districts in Trumbull County and has no plans for any new levies — just for getting the renewal levies approved.

Officials said the decline in valuation due to change in ownership / use at the former General Motors facility likely will result in large losses in property tax revenue. Lordstown had received $800,000 in property taxes, officials said, when GM was operating in the sprawling plant that is now owned by Lordstown Motors.

The district continues to address building / facility improvements as finances permit, but officials noted schools continue to be impacted negatively by decisions at the state level, such as loss of tangible personal property tax reimbursement and state funding caps.

To help save money, Lordstown has worked with other districts on shared-services agreements, including sharing a website with LaBrae, psychology services with Newton Falls and a career-based intervention program with Newton Falls.

Lowery said he and other officials are pleased DeWine has decided not to have state testing this spring or to enforce the third-grade reading guarantee.

“If the state tests had not been taken away, we were scheduled to begin testing the week of April 13,” Lowery said

Lowery said report cards for the third quarter have been sent out.

Lowery and school board members said they feel bad for all students but especially 12th-graders who may miss out on prom, graduation and many other end-of-the-school-year events.

“There are always a lot of events that are held in May for all grades. We will wait and see what happens and when we can go back to school, The seniors are the ones who will miss the most since the events would be the last for them in the schools,” Lowery said.

In other action, the board at its March 18 meeting:

l Approved the 2020-21 school year with first day for students Sept. 8 and last day June 3.

l Approved having a classroom-window replacement project done at the high school and some at the elementary school this summer

bcoupland@tribtoday.com

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