Vote 'no' to keep the Heights affordable

To the Editor:

My family has been in the Heights for four generations. Both my husband and I are alumni. I have volunteered as a tutor in the elementary schools, and was campaign treasurer for two former school board members. That said, I am writing to ask people to vote “no” on the operating levy 

Understanding our community is primarily residential, we still have had an unprecedented number of levies and increases in spending in recent years—despite large decreases in school enrollment. Roughly 40 percent of our school-aged children opt out of the public schools, yet our spending is amongst the highest in Ohio. I know there have been calls for the district to have a State Performance Audit to address concerns, and I echo this sentiment.

There has been a lack of transparency. The refusal to allow any questions at the school levy presentation, as well as neglecting to answer the majority of submitted written questions even one month later, is cause for concern. 

On Jan. 31, the [state] legislature voted to provide an additional $10 million in funding while reworking the EdChoice funding formula for the April 1 deadline.

Burdening taxpayers with an $8.8-million permanent levy for a short-term budget problem, as well as many outstanding questions, requires a “no” vote on Issue 26.