With a struggling economy on the minds of voters, two area school districts will attempt to pass operating levies Tuesday to offset the loss of state aid and other revenue as well as preventing future spending cuts.

The administration and school board of the Lake Local School District are asking voters for approval of a 4.75-mill, continuing levy while voters in the Benton-Carroll-Salem School District will decide a 3.9-mill, 5-year emergency property tax issue.

For residents of the B-C-S district, where the ballot issue would generate approximately $1.32 million annually, the levy outcome could very well decide the fate of two elementary school buildings.

Without the additional revenue, options being considered by the school board include closing Graytown and Carroll schools and moving the fourth grade to the middle school and eighth grade to the high school starting with the 2012-13 school year. The seventh grade would be moved to the high school in the 2013-14 school year.

Anne Arnold, district treasurer, said the consolidations would save approximately $865,000 annually, with most of the savings coming from personnel layoffs.

Rocky Ridge Elementary School was closed this year.

Arnold said the district is facing a net loss of state foundation revenues and what is called state stabilization revenue of about $312,000. In addition, B-C-S schools are losing $353,911 in public utility tax revenue and about $315,400 in reimbursements from the state for the loss of tangible personal property.

“We’re trying to do everything we can to balance the budget,” she said. “But we feel we’ve made all the cuts we can. We haven’t passed a new money issue since 2000.”

A levy issue in 2004 was defeated.

To promote the levy, school officials have been meeting with residents in informal sessions at residences or with local groups.

Arnold said the closing of Rocky Ridge doesn’t appear to be causing bad feelings among a majority of district residents.

“Closing a school is always an emotional issue,” she said. “But people understand why we did it.”

A link on the treasurer’s page of the B-C-S website includes a calculator for residents to see how much the additional millage will cost.

The B-C-S board has already scheduled a special meeting for the morning after the levy election to discuss the outcome and, if necessary, prepare for a ballot issue in November.

Lake levy
The Lake district is also facing a loss of federal and state revenue, said Jeff Carpenter, treasurer.

The administration is estimating a loss of about $2.1 million over the next two fiscal years and has enacted spending cuts of about $1 million.

The 4.75-mill issue is expected to generate about $1.13 million annually, if passed.

The board opted to seek approval of a continuing levy rather than an issue with a term limit to avoid confusion among the voters,” Carpenter said.

“At one point years ago we had three term levies we had to contend with, two operating levies and one permanent improvement levy,” he said. “Obviously that creates a real sense of confusion. We were on the ballot every 18 months just to renew what we had.”

For the owner of a home with a market value of $100,000, the new millage will cost about $145 a year.

Lake officials have been stressing the levy isn’t linked to the new high school under construction.

The district’s insurance payment, a grant from the Ohio School Facilities Commission, and a grant from the Kohl’s Department Stores are covering the costs for the new school that will replace a building destroyed by the June 2010 tornado.

“This has nothing to do with the construction,” Carpenter said. “If the old high school was still standing we’d still be on the ballot.

The district hasn’t sought new millage since 2006.

Voting locations changed
The Wood County Board of Elections has changed voting locations of four precincts for the Lake schools ballot issue.

Voters in precincts 650, 653, and 900 will vote in Precinct 390 at the Lakewood Church of the Brethren. Voters in Precinct 810 will vote in Precinct 420, also at the Lakewood Church.

The changes have been posted at the board’s website.

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