ENGLEWOOD — The Northmont Board of Education has unanimously approved a 5.5-mil emergency tax levy, to be placed on the November ballot, by passing a resolution of necessity. The levy will generate $4,065,759 over its 10-year life, said Information Officer Jenny Wood on Friday.
During a special meeting held July 5, the board made this decision. It was one of four proposals discussed, following the failure of an earlier request by the board on the May 2023 ballot for voters to pass a 7.8-mil levy that would have generated $5.8 million annually.
This new emergency levy would cost around $16 per month for a home valued at $100,000 in property value, according to Treasurer Ann Ferraro.
The district’s most recent five-year forecast, from mid-May 2023, showed the schools to be $5.6 million in the red for 2022-23, dropping the cash balance to $22 million, or roughly one-third of a year’s expenses, according to Ferraro.
On a positive note, Ferraro said she now has figures on the State of Ohio budget for the state’s schools, with Northmont to receive $22 million in addition to what Northmont received last year.
That increase, however, doesn’t solve the overall deficit problem, she said.
“Looking through the five-year forecast, we still would need additional funds to maintain our books, so that’s why we should proceed with placing the levy on the ballot in November,” Ferraro said.
In a move following the defeat of the May levy, the board unanimously decided to close
Englewood Elementary at the end of the school year. That already has taken place and will save the district around $1 million.
Some EE students will attend Union Elementary, and some will sent to Englewood Hills Elementary.
This move also resulted in nine teaching positions being cut. Superintendent Tony Thomas said there were 17 resignations after the announced cuts and with people retiring, a total of 30 full-time positions could be cut.
Jacob Hobbs, 17, who is the newly selected Student Representative to the Northmont School Board, voted along with the board members on this issue. Hobbs will be graduating at the end of the coming school year.
“Even though I’m not going to reap the benefits of whatever may happen with this next election, or the next levy cycle, it is still very much my responsibility to do what is best for Northmont and what’s best for the students in general,” he said. “This is a decision I feel confident in leading for the student voice and the generation to come after me.”
