Please vote against the school levy, excess and opaqueness

To the Editor,

Cleveland Heights, University Heights and South Euclid voters should vote against the school levy that will be on the ballot on Nov. 8, 2016.

I support this statement with the following data from the Cleveland Heights-University Heights City School District Comprehensive Annual Financial Report For The Fiscal Year Ended June 30, 2015.

The district and the levy campaign will fail to mention these, as they are, as always, putting all responsibility for another tax increase on HB 920:

• Between 2006 and 2015
  • General Fund Expenditures increased by 32.3 percent.
  • Student Enrollment decreased 13.5 percent.
  • The Cost per Student per Year increased 53 percent, to $20,534.
• Between 2006 and 2013, the Graduation Rate decreased by 17 percent.
  
  

The Board of Education and those responsible for fiscal control are not managing the taxpayers' funds in a manner that is sustainable or transparent.

That the temporary Wiley renovations could exceed the Lay Facilities Committee's estimate by over $10 MILLION (100 percent) and this overage be unknown to the community is inexcusable.

The vaunted “community led Bond Accountability Commission” that was promised to voters has been nothing of the sort in it's downgraded stature as Facilities Accountability Committee, led by the district's project management, not by the community.

Until accountability, wisdom, and transparency are hallmarks of the board and the district, voting for school tax increases will accomplish nothing beyond raising taxes and increasing school spending.