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CORTLAND -- The Lakeview Board of Education took the first steps this week toward placing an additional tax levy on the Nov. 7 ballot.
At its meeting Monday, the board agreed to proceed with submission of an additional 10-year emergency tax levy to voters in the Lakeview Local School District for the fall election.
The first reading of the resolution set the amount of funds the district would assume through the levy annually at $1.51 million. The board also agreed to meet 3 p.m. June 26 to set the exact millage of the levy.
District Treasurer Sean Miller said he still is waiting to hear from the county auditor's office, but it estimates the levy will be 4.9 mills.
Last year, the district had a series of levy proposals rejected by district voters. In the May 2022 primary, voters rejected a 6.8-mill emergency tax levy.
Lakeview restructured the proposal for the November election, having two levies: A 5.85-mill levy for emergency operating funds and a 1-mill levy for school safety. Voters rejected both.
A news release from Lakeview Superintendent Velina Jo Taylor stated that the district has had stakeholder group meetings and considered community feedback when restructuring the levy this year.
"We've lowered the operating millage to 4.9 with the understanding that we cannot restore and maintain everything we could with a 6.8-mill levy," Taylor said in the release.
Miller said that the district has been operating on the same revenue since its last levy was passed in 2011. Miller said that at the time, that levy netted the district approximately $1.05 million annually.
After the defeated levies last year, Taylor stressed the importance of getting the new levy passed.
"The district has made deep cuts to operating expenses over the last several years," she said. "And (Lakeview) is at a crossroads of facing the state fiscal distress process or moving to state minimum services for our children."
Miller said the community response to the new levy proposal has been mostly positive.
Previously, Miller had said that increasing expenditures from unfunded state mandates, such as the College-Credit Plus program, and an increase in students leaving the district through open enrollment have strained the budget.
Last year, board President Jennifer Nicholas said it is getting harder to operate with 2010 dollars, noting the district has managed money well. The board hopes that if voters pass the levy, the district will have more flexibility to improve its schools.
In other business, the board:
• Adopted a memorandum of understanding between the Lakeview Teachers Association and the Lakeview Board of Education. Taylor said that an important part of the agreement is providing teachers two additional half-days off every quarter, three extra bereavement days, an extra professional development day and an extra waiver day. The agreement will be effective Aug. 15, 2023, through Aug. 15, 2025;
• Accepted the resignation of substitute teacher Stacie Lawson at the end of the 2022-23 school year and teacher Steve Zielinski, effective May 26;
• Hired Brooke Pawlowski as a teacher for the 2023-24 school year at Step 0 of the pay schedule;
• Nonrenewed the supplemental contracts of extended school year instructor Crystal Faatz and tutor Cythia Thomas for the 2022-23 school year;
• Approved Colton Maiorca as a substitue teacher;
• Approved the parental leave requests of Stephanie White, according to plan A of the contract as submitted, and Arielle Russell, amending the plan A parental leave approved Dec. 12, 2022, to plan B for the 2023-24 school year;
• Approved 53 supplemental contracts for the 2023-24 school year;
• Hired 10 extracurricular personnel for the 2023-24 school year;
• Authorized Mark Novotny to work up to 20 days as athletic director and transportation supervisor from May 26 through July 31, and be compensated at the daily rate for these services as contained on the administrative salary schedule;
• Removed teacher Denise Leibold from the reduction-in-force list and reinstated her contract;
• Approved calendar adjustments for the 2023-24 and 2024-25 school years establishing two additional early dismissal times and changes to spring break to allow for staff training;
• Adopted a resolution to waive technical education for seventh- and eighth-grade students, according to House Bill 487, because of unfunded initiatives by the Ohio Legislature;
• Passed a resolution to enter into a cooperative transportation agreement with the Trumbull County Educational Service Center and Community Bus Services Inc. for the 2023-24 school year. The agreement provides bus services on a per-day and per-child basis.