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Little Miami voters reject levy request

Little Miami High School student Tyler Noel, 17, and Board of Education president Kym Dunbar react Tuesday, Feb. 2, 2010, after learning the school levy failed. Little Miami levy supporters gathered at Putters 2 Putt Tavern and Grill in Hamilton Twp. to watch the results.

Apryl Pilolli Little Miami High School student Tyler Noel, 17, and Board of Education president Kym Dunbar react Tuesday, Feb. 2, 2010, after learning the school levy failed. Little Miami levy supporters gathered at Putters 2 Putt Tavern and Grill in Hamilton Twp. to watch the results.

ENLARGE PHOTO

By Richard Wilson, Staff Writer Updated 11:11 PM Wednesday, February 3, 2010

MORROW — Little Miami voters rejected an operating levy Tuesday, Feb. 2 that would have kept the school district from possible state control.

The tax levy failed 55 percent (5,951 votes) to 45 percent (4,925 votes) in the special election, according to unofficial results from the Warren County Board of Elections.

It’s the fourth-straight time since 2008 this financially strapped district, which is rated “excellent” on the state’s academic report card, has failed to pass a levy.

The district asked voters to pass a five year, 16.95-mill tax levy that would have cost the owner of a $100,000 home $519 a year. The levy failure means that the district will fall into “fiscal watch ” by the state, then over the summer will fall into “fiscal emergency” if no levy has passed, said Shaun Bevin, Little Miami treasurer.

The school board plans to meet for a work session Saturday morning, Feb. 6, to discuss possibly coming back to voters in May with another tax proposal, according to Kym Dunbar, school board president.

“I’m just horribly disappointed,” said Julie Perelman, leader of the Panther Pride levy committee. “We put in hundreds of hours and had hundreds of volunteers working their tails off. We felt optimistic about it. We had strengths where we didn’t have it before, but it wasn’t enough.”

Dunbar said the students who gathered to watch results were just as disappointed as the adults, but told her, “We’ll get through this.”

“I’m extremely disappointed in the community,” Dunbar said. “It’s hard to see a district that doesn’t value the education that we’re giving these kids.”

Dunbar said the 16.95-mill levy was the only option to consider.

“We have to give this district the best chance to stay out of state receivership and this was the only way we could do that,” she said. “As a board member I could not sleep at night unless I gave these kids a chance.”

The issue has become increasingly emotional among voters, with parents concerned about further cuts to the public school district and others who say the tax increase is too much, especially in a time of high unemployment and economic recession.

Bill Brausch, a Morrow resident who headed the opposition to the tax increase, was not reveling in the results.

“From here on, it is our objective to reach out and unite this community to come up with a more realistic way to solve this problem,” Brausch said. “I really think it can be done if people set their emotions aside and work together.”

Little Miami Superintendent Dan Bennett said he was “extremely disappointed” the community didn’t rally to support the levy.

The next step, he said, will be further “tearing apart and disintegrating an excellent school district.”

With the district already in “fiscal caution,” according to the Ohio Department of Education, Treasurer Bevin said he will submit the required financial recovery plan next week. Since the levy failed, the report won’t include any new revenue coming in and a deficit of about $6 million remains projected for June 2011.

“It’s very disappointing,” he said. “The kids will show up tomorrow and it will be our job to educate them. We’ll do the best we can with what we have right now.”

The tax increase was based on an estimated 16.95 mills, which would have generated about $12.8 million for the school district.

Since 2008, voters have rejected the last four operating levy proposals. The district is faced with losing local control over managing the district and having the state decide its future.

Contact this reporter at (513) 696-4542 or rwilson@coxohio.com.

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