Tusky Valley to place renewal levy on ballot

Voters in the Tusky Valley School District are being asked to renew a 10-year operating levy on Nov. 7. Members of Today’s Committee for Tomorrow’s Schools want to make it clear to voters that Issue 15 is not an additional tax or a tax increase but a renewal of what they’ve already been paying for the past 10 years.

They also want voters to know the levy has nothing to do with the new school, which was built without an additional bond measure and funded largely by money from the Rover Pipeline and the Ohio Facilities Construction Commission.

“This levy is just a renewal, and it is for standard operations, which include teacher salaries, supplies and things of that nature,” said Ashley Claxon, co-chair of the committee.

Funds from the levy will not go toward the buildings at all.

Claxon also said the district’s five-year forecast does not call for any new tax levies, partly because Tusky Valley is part of a state funding guarantee.

At the same time, Matt Claxon, co-chair of the committee, said while operating expenses have increased over the past 10 years, state funding has remained flat.

In addition to salaries and supplies, funds from the levy also are needed to pay for textbooks, utilities and maintenance. If passed, the 4-mill renewal levy will continue to generate $1,875,000 for the district’s day-to-day operations, which according to Ashley Claxon is about 12% of the district’s annual operating budget.

Larry Notz, treasurer of TCTS, said even school district residents without children attending school should consider the importance of levy passage.

“Schools play an important part in the community and the valuation of your property,” Notz said. “Many people who are looking for new homes look first at what the schools are like, and I don’t know how our school system could look any better than it does right now.”

Ashley Claxon agreed. “Tusky Valley alumni are coming back to this area to raise their families, largely because of the schools. We have some amazing alumni business owners who turn around and give back to the community, and I think that’s a credit to the schools.”

District performance and fiscal responsibility

The committee pointed to state performance scores where Tusky Valley earned 4.5 out of five stars on the 2022-23 state report card. According to information from the committee, this number not only exceeds state standards, but also places Tusky Valley at the highest level in the county and in the top 25% of all Ohio public schools, all while spending less per student.

In addition to tapping into Rover Pipeline funding, Tusky Valley administrators have been known to frequently pursue alternative sources of funding such as the 21st Century Learning Communities federal grant, which will bring in $850,000 for extra-curricular programming over the next five years.

According to the committee, district treasurer Mark Phillips is to be credited with the financial strategy that has allowed the district to operate without new levy money since 2014. Most recently, he worked to secure a $1,835,000 state grant for the eventual abatement and demolition of the Tusky Valley intermediate and primary schools.

“Sally Green, the president of the Tusky Valley Board of Education, has been invited to other Ohio school districts to explain how our district has accomplished everything we’ve done,” Matt Claxon said. “And the fact that she’s been on the school board for 17 years demonstrates the consistency in leadership we see all across the district.”

The committee is asking those who support passage of the levy to join a coalition of 1,000 supporters who will commit to voting yes on the renewal levy next week. A Facebook page has been established under the name Today’s Committee for Tomorrow’s Schools, where voters can make the pledge.

“We know we have a really great community,” Ashley Claxon said. “We know that there are enough Trojan supporters in our community to carry this. We just need everybody to get out and vote.”