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Ellen Belcher is the Dayton Daily News opinion pages editor. She writes about state government, education, the environment, higher education and all things Dayton.
Martin Gottlieb is an editorial writer and columnist for the Dayton Daily News opinion pages. He focuses on the political process itself and does such national issues as war, the economy, taxes and Social Security, as well as a hodge-podge of local and state issues.
Scott Elliott is an editorial writer and columnist for the Dayton Daily News opinion pages. He writes about education, city and suburban issues, politics, business, workforce and consumer issues.Home > Blogs > A Matter of Opinion > Archives > 2010 > September > 28 > Entry
Editorial: Levy offers Springboro a fresh start
2010 Election
Springboro’s school district has new leaders and is seeking a fresh start. A 6.83-mill emergency levy would put the district on solid financial footing as a new superintendent and treasurer join a mostly new school board in charting a different path.
Voters should give the new crew that opportunity.
Whoever was at fault, a breakdown in trust between the district and the community was a big reason for four consecutive levy defeats in Springboro. The most recent came in May of 2009. Too many voters lost faith in the board and former Superintendent David Baker.
Critics of the district’s spending focused on administrative costs they argued needed scaling back. They bristled when district leaders, in their view, prioritized cuts like bus service and closing an elementary school.
Interim Superintendent Gene Lolli (a finalist for the permanent post) and new Treasurer Eric Beavers have put fresh eyes on Springboro’s problems. Their verdict is instructive.
Overall, they report not finding anything in the district’s budget that was extraordinarily out of line. They believe teacher and administrator salaries, for example, are solidly competitive with similar districts and reasonable. The total cost reductions over the past 18 months have amounted to $6.5 million. Administrators took the brunt of the most recent round of cuts.
The central office, long cited by the district’s critics as bloated, was cut by about 30 percent, down 10 positions to 24. At the same time, the district used federal stimulus funds to restore busing service reductions that had rankled some parents.
All the while, Springboro has maintained solid performance on state tests. The district is rated “excellent” on its state report card. Its “performance index score,” Ohio’s measure of test performance across all grades, ranks in the top 10 among 79 districts in the 10 counties surrounding Dayton.
Of course, a lot of competing districts have also made cuts. Springboro can’t keep cutting forever and maintain a quality program.
Even after all the recent reductions, Mr. Beavers projects a deficit of $1.7 million by 2012. Springboro is a relatively well-off district (No. 1 in the area for median income, higher than Oakwood), and it is treated as such by the state funding formula. The district can’t expect any help from the state.
Meanwhile, enrollment continues to grow (although not quite at the intense pace of recent years). That requires more teachers, pushing costs higher. If Springboro wants to maintain top-quality schools, the burden will fall on the local taxpayer.
Today that burden is not terribly heavy. Property taxes for schools in Springboro are actually lower than other suburban districts like Centerville, Oakwood, Kettering, Huber Heights and West Carrollton.
Supporting a 6.83-mill levy won’t be easy for some Springboro residents. The recession has hit just about everywhere. But the district has done everything it can to earn voter support — changing leadership, cutting spending and maintaining excellent results.
A “yes” vote would get the district on solid financial footing.
Permalink | Comments (24) | Post your comment | Categories: Editorials, Education, Elections, Scott Elliott, Suburban Communities
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By Crossley
September 30, 2010 6:16 PM | Link to this
This piece is on the money. They can’t keep making cuts and keeping the education tip top. I will support the levy this time around because they have made enormous cuts and we need local control of schools.
By Crossley
September 30, 2010 6:20 PM | Link to this
This piece is on the money. They can’t keep making cuts and keeping the education tip top. I will support the levy this time around because they have made enormous cuts and we need local control of schools.
By Crossley
September 30, 2010 6:22 PM | Link to this
This piece is on the money. They can’t keep making cuts and keeping the education tip top. I will support the levy this time around because they have made enormous cuts and we need local control of schools.
By Lynn
September 30, 2010 6:34 PM | Link to this
I heartily agree that passing the Springboro school levy on Nov 2nd is critical. Springboro has continued to grow because people move here for the quality of education, which is on par with top Ohio districts and yet the taxes still remain lower, even if this levy passes. Deep cuts have already been made - the community needs to come together now to protect our property values and to ensure that our children are academically prepared to compete on a global stage, with enough science, technology, mathematics and even fine arts. The 20th centure model of “bare bones basic” will not suffice to serve them or us (their parents and grandparents in the future.
By Borodad
September 30, 2010 11:40 PM | Link to this
Springboro has really good schools and that is one reason folks move to the area. If people vote down the levy again, the schools and the community will suffer. Houses will lose value, programs will get cut and class sizes will be out of control!
By Lisbeth
October 1, 2010 9:27 AM | Link to this
It would be a pity to de-fund the governemnt schools teacher jobs program!
By shawn
October 1, 2010 3:33 PM | Link to this
I don’t know why DDN even bothers wasting space writing these type of editorials. In 25 years I don’t think they have ever seen a school levy that wasn’t either needed or desperately needed.
By null
October 2, 2010 11:03 AM | Link to this
As usuall the DDN does not tell the whole story like that The State Auditor came in and said that Johnathin Wright should be closed due to overcapacity. C’mon guys tell the truth. Fix the problem in Columbus.
By nelly
October 2, 2010 11:16 AM | Link to this
Remember it was the State Auditor that said we should close JW school. We have over capacity. Property levels in Warren County have taken a hit even in towns like Mason, that PASS levies. The DDN always misses the OTHER facts
By NoWay
October 3, 2010 1:41 PM | Link to this
Does it always have to be more taxes? When will government start spending within its means. Who still gets 4%+ raises every year and nearly free healthcare. Voting YES won’t change anything. http://bororeport.blogspot.com
By Another View
October 3, 2010 5:11 PM | Link to this
Same old scare tactic—Property values will decline if we don’t pass a levy! Time for a reality check at bororeport.blogspot.com—While it’s true that parents seek quality schools for their young children, that is less true for parents of older children. For non-parents, a low property tax rate is a sales advantage. So the value depends on the particular property and who it is marketed to. Springboro does not want to lose out on housing sales by limiting our market only to those buyers who think increased property taxes and big spending equals strong schools and strong community.
By BoroWise
October 5, 2010 5:47 PM | Link to this
One Reason To Vote No on Nov. 2: Too much of school funding is going into overly generous benefits programs and overly generous salary increases. If spending in these areas was dropped to a reasonable amount he district would have ample money for these items. There was a time when it was appropriate for employers to provide 4%+ raises and almost free healthcare to their employees, but that time has passed. Our “new Crew” is still sticking to Baker-Dettwiller proposed big spending plans. Voters have no choice but to vote No and tell our new crew to “listen to voters and start over.”
By support our community
October 6, 2010 10:17 AM | Link to this
When I was growing up, one thing I learned from how my parents voted was that you always vote yes on levies that support community services- including schools. I agree that how our state funds schools is neither right nor fair- but we as the community must support our community schools. Vote yes.
By shawn
October 7, 2010 8:44 AM | Link to this
This Levy may be necessary - or not. You could never tell from a DDN editorial as they have never seen one they didn’t like.
By Mary
October 7, 2010 8:16 PM | Link to this
Vote NO!!!!
By Mary
October 7, 2010 8:17 PM | Link to this
Vote NO!!!!
By Community Pride
October 7, 2010 9:23 PM | Link to this
Vote YES!!!!
By Mary
October 8, 2010 1:57 PM | Link to this
Go to the bororeport website and get an alternative view of the levy and why it is not needed at this time!
By Community Pride
October 8, 2010 3:16 PM | Link to this
Or you could go to www.strongspringboro.org and get some real information, not some former board members ideas that are not feasible, since they are things that must be negotiated with the union, or the state (“sorry, Governor, we have decided to ‘Just say No to all day kindergarten’ to save money. Is that OK with you?”!!)
By Springboro Voter
October 13, 2010 7:35 PM | Link to this
Voters should not vote yes just because we should trust the plan developed by school experts. This approach taken to close the deficit in the Board’s current financial plan is to increase their funding by raising taxes. One review of the current financial plan identifies up to $30 million of opportunities to cut expenses which could be considered. The majority of the Baord and Administration are new members, and the newest members have not yet had the opportunity to review and understand the options available. The current plan was developed by the previous administration, and there has been no community input into it. Voting No on November 2 will allow our new crew opportunity to develop sound financial plans consistent with district needs and community resources. Now is the time to curtail spending. Reform Now, Levy Later. Visit website EducateSpringboro.org for more details.
By Springboro Voter
October 13, 2010 7:36 PM | Link to this
Voters should not vote yes just because we should trust the plan developed by school experts. This approach taken to close the deficit in the Board’s current financial plan is to increase their funding by raising taxes. One review of the current financial plan identifies up to $30 million of opportunities to cut expenses which could be considered. The majority of the Baord and Administration are new members, and the newest members have not yet had the opportunity to review and understand the options available. The current plan was developed by the previous administration, and there has been no community input into it. Voting No on November 2 will allow our new crew opportunity to develop sound financial plans consistent with district needs and community resources. Now is the time to curtail spending. Reform Now, Levy Later. Visit website EducateSpringboro.org for more details.
By Springboro Voter
October 13, 2010 7:36 PM | Link to this
Voters should not vote yes just because we should trust the plan developed by school experts. This approach taken to close the deficit in the Board’s current financial plan is to increase their funding by raising taxes. One review of the current financial plan identifies up to $30 million of opportunities to cut expenses which could be considered. The majority of the Baord and Administration are new members, and the newest members have not yet had the opportunity to review and understand the options available. The current plan was developed by the previous administration, and there has been no community input into it. Voting No on November 2 will allow our new crew opportunity to develop sound financial plans consistent with district needs and community resources. Now is the time to curtail spending. Reform Now, Levy Later. Visit website EducateSpringboro.org for more details.
By Springboro Voter
October 13, 2010 7:38 PM | Link to this
Voters should not vote yes just because we should trust the plan developed by school experts. This approach taken to close the deficit in the Board’s current financial plan is to increase their funding by raising taxes. One review of the current financial plan identifies up to $30 million of opportunities to cut expenses which could be considered. The majority of the Baord and Administration are new members, and the newest members have not yet had the opportunity to review and understand the options available. The current plan was developed by the previous administration, and there has been no community input into it. Voting No on November 2 will allow our new crew opportunity to develop sound financial plans consistent with district needs and community resources. Now is the time to curtail spending. Reform Now, Levy Later. Visit website EducateSpringboro.org for more details.
By Weary Springboro resident
October 29, 2010 1:49 PM | Link to this
According to a pamphlet sent out to residents recently, the levy will deal with the following issues: 1) Keep elementary classes at 25 students. Currently some have 26 and 33 students. Many schools have this many students in the classroom. Parents should volunteer as aides to help teachers handle the load if the teacher can’t handle it alone. 2) Busing for high school will be restored. I don’t pay to get you to work. I shouldn’t have to pay to get your children to school, either. That’s the parents’ responsibility. Busing is a fringe benefit. 3) Pay-to-participate fees will be moderate (instead of as much as $475/sport). Why would you ask the octogenarian couple down the street with no children to help pay for your child to play football? If your child wants to play sports, don’t ask the community to pay for it. 4) Increase Central Office employees by 1.5. This is a moot point since the increase is negligible, and there is still waste that can be cut to help pay for the additional 1.5 employees, if they are essential. 5) Increase custodians by 4. How about if student and parent alike volunteer to help with janitorial work within their own schools? It would be a great community service, and teach students something about pride and ownership in their school. 6) Replace textbooks every 10 years. They say that currently no textbooks are being replaced. However, they don’t say how many textbooks currently in use are over 10 years old either. Schools should be making sure that the appropriate fees are being collected from those using the books – a fee which takes into account the need to replace them every 10 years. Parents have to take responsibility for paying for their child’s education, not place burdens on the rest of the community to make their load lighter. Education is not a freebie. They are using the scare tactic that your property value will go down if the schools in the community are not first-rate. That may be, but property values will also go down if taxes are too high, and they are already pushing the limit, especially in today’s economy. It’s a myth to say more money = better schools. The board of education needs to figure out how to excel the schools within their means. Vote no on Tuesday