Letter to the editor: Streetsboro schools are asking too much

Editor’s note: The Portager publishes letters to the editor from the community. The opinions expressed are published not because they necessarily reflect those of the publication but because we feel they contribute meaningfully to the local discourse on matters of public interest.

Despite two consecutive rejections of property tax levies and recent home value reappraisals that have generated nearly $1 million from unvoted tax bill increases, the Streetsboro City School Board is again asking tax payers for to shoulder an even heavier tax burden. Yet another property tax levy will appear on the Streetsboro ballot on May 5th.  And they have gotten bolder: this time the ask is 7 mills (up from the 5 mills they tried to take in November of last year.)

While the school board frequently highlights increases in its operating expenses, it overlooks that households in Streetsboro are also experiencing rising costs. The difference is that residents cannot simply compel additional financial contributions from their neighbors by majority vote to offset costs as the city school wants to do.

In local elections like this, a core group of highly motivated voters is a powerful tool. For this reason, according to local reporter Rex Smith at Fox8 News, the school board has threatened highly visible cuts which are likely to influence parents of student-athletes. This is not only manipulative, but serves to leverage the will of a few against the welfare and wishes of many.

In the height of irony, six months ago, Streetsboro Schools levy committee chairman Jim Curtin referred to a levy failure as “taxing” for families. What Mr. Curtin and the rest of the school’s leadership apparently do not understand is that taxes hikes are also…well….taxing. Streetsboro already has a higher median income tax than the rest of the United States, the State of Ohio, and Portage County. Yet somehow the quality of our schools does not reflect this. We already support our students. We already “pay into the system”. Throwing more money at an organization that has not demonstrated responsible financial stewardship will not produce better outcomes.

We need a different solution. It is time for the school board to make the difficult decisions made by Streetsboro residents every single year to make ends meet.  For the sake of all of our futures, please vote “no” on property tax increases on May 5.

— Jai Ranchod, Streetsboro