Letter to the editor: Vote yes to support Streetsboro schools

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.

I would like to respond to certain points in the Letter to the Editor regarding the Streetsboro School Levy, as well as make a few additional ones. 

First, I would like to address how the letter writer indicates that the “quality of our schools does not reflect” the amount of money going into them. I do not understand how the letter writer comes to this conclusion and would really like some concrete examples. The facts are per the state report card for the 24-25 school year, Streetsboro has the third highest overall score in Portage County with 4 stars— behind only Aurora and Kent, while receiving 5 stars in progress and gap closing. Streetsboro ranked second in the whole state for student growth. 

Per additional state data, Streetsboro spends $16,991.65 on average per pupil, which is less than what Southeast, Ravenna, Aurora, Crestwood, Kent, and Windham spend. So out of the 11 school districts in Portage County, Streetsboro is seventh in the amount of spending while being the third highest ranked. I think that is a great return on investment— the district is spending less and getting more for its students. For the two school districts that are ranked above Streetsboro— Aurora spends $18,097.81 per student and Kent spends $21,465,54 per student. Streetsboro also has a lower effective tax rate than Aurora, Kent, and Ravenna. 

Also, telling parents what may be cut if the levy does not pass is not manipulation, it is transparency, so parents can better understand how these cuts impact what the school can offer to their students. To say nothing leaves parents blind-sided when cuts are made and leads to accusations of not being upfront about changes. 

My kids are no longer in Streetsboro schools; they are both now enrolled at Kent State. But I still support the levies because I recognize this is not just a school issue but a community issue. Strong schools and programs not only better educate our students, but keep them engaged, help keep some out of trouble, build character, and help prepare them to make strong contributions back to our community. 

Second, I am sure that all members of the school board are quite aware of the increasing living expenses in Streetsboro— they all live here. They, and those of us that support the levy, are acutely aware that some people are already in a position of deciding to pay bills or eat. I think we can all agree that no one should be in that situation. 

The letter writer mentions higher median income taxes in Streetsboro, yet income tax is not the main funder of our local schools— property tax is. 70% of school funding comes from property tax. This was ruled unconstitutional years ago by the Ohio Supreme Court, yet it is our state LEGISLATURE that fails to provide a viable funding solution. And while failing to do this, they increase the amount of public tax dollars — the state taxes you do pay — to increase the voucher system. This voucher system helps subsidize the cost for people who want to send their kids to private schools. So, the letter writer is correct, you are already paying into this system, but it is going more and more to vouchers — which takes the money away from Streetsboro schools and out of Portage County all together — to private schools in Summit and Cuyahoga counties. Those counties are getting your tax dollars and then benefiting from the income tax that those school employees pay for working in those counties. Is that an effective use of your tax dollars? I don’t think it is— I would rather as much of those education dollars as possible come to my local schools. 

Despite the lottery revenue and that high median income tax the letter writer mentions, the state continues to cut funding for public schools. Lottery money was ‘supposed’ to fund schools when in fact very little goes to schools. Lottery proceeds actually go to the state general fund and the legislature can divert them to other programs. 

State funding for public schools has dropped from 47% in 1999 to an estimated 32% for FY2027. Costs to public schools have increased dramatically since 1999 yet state funding has decreased. Another example is the state determines that the BASE cost for strictly educating a student in FY26 was $8080.56, yet the amount our schools gets towards that amount from the state is $808.06— a meager 10%. In FY25, the base cost was $8081.88 per student and the state paid $1384.50. So, between FY25 and FY26, state funding per student has decreased by 41.6%. 

Our state legislature also had a chance to greatly enhance the Homestead Act, providing property tax relief to seniors, disabled people, and disabled veterans, increasing the threshold so more people would qualify for these benefits, but they chose not to. A forum commenter mentioned that his 94-year-old father should not have to pay property tax— I think he is correct. But only the legislature can fix that. 

Though agreeing with some of the letter writer’s points, I think his and your ire should be directed at the state legislature for consistently failing the residents of the state on this issue and NOT at the schools. It is the state legislature failing to provide adequate school funding that is resulting in the schools having to resort to asking for property tax increases to make up the gap. All public schools in Ohio are dealing with this— not just Streetsboro or Kent. 

So if you are so fed up about this issue that you are willing to write a letter – I beseech you, beg you to please make that a letter to your state reps and senators to fix this problem – to stop funding vouchers that take funds away from our public schools, to direct more lottery money to our schools as was promised, to increase the Homestead Act threshold providing more relief to our most vulnerable citizens and to adequately fund our schools. 

Until change happens, I ask that you think about all of the items stated above and urge you to support our students and support our schools. 

—Sheri Gestring, Streetsboro