Overview:
More than 100 parents discussed the levy last week at the Akron Zoo with members of a citizens committee.
Crystal Catta said at first she supported the levy that will appear on November’s ballot — as long as it doesn’t increase her property taxes.
After reviewing fliers handed out last Tuesday at Backpack Adventure, and discovering the levy is based on home valuation, Catta remained supportive of the measure. Why? She wants to contribute to an important community institution.
“I would probably vote yes,” said Catta, who is the parent of an Akron Public Schools student.
Catta’s support followed her initial hesitation, given the tax increases Akronites will experience if the levy passes.
“I feel like I’m getting squeezed from all ends,” Catta added.
Catta was one of more than 100 parents who discussed the levy last week at the Akron Zoo with members of the Citizens Committee – Akron Public Schools, estimated Carla Chapman, who is also a member of the pro-levy group. The committee is composed of as many as 50 community members and APS employees who volunteer during their off hours. Chapman serves as chief diversity officer at APS.
Members of the citizens committee made one of many planned public appearances regarding the levy, tabling last Tuesday inside the zoo’s cafeteria entrance, a location that experienced plenty of foot traffic during the two-day back-to-school event. Zoo officials estimated the event hosted about 4,000 visitors, including nearly 1,900 children.
During community conversations, volunteers focused on facts they believe will generate the most public support:
- November marks the first APS levy in 12 years
- North High School is in desperate need of a new facility
- The cost of conducting business continues to rise
Organizers admitted they were playing with home-field advantage by lobbying parents of APS students, but they were still encouraged by generally positive responses.
“We want people to know that it’s been 12 years since we asked our voters for a levy, and even though we’ve managed our money well for 12 years, we have the same increase in expenses as any other business and household does,” Chapman said.
Pro-levy committee members believe rising expenses and costs are universal experiences, everyday issues that will help them explain the ballot initiative that will contain two levies which will be voted on together.
If approved, how much will the APS levy cost?
In total, the two levies will cost an additional $311.50 annually for homeowners whose homes are valued at $100,000.
One levy included in the measure will be a 7.6-mill operating levy that will raise $25.7 million annually and cost homeowners with an appraised value over $100,000 an additional $266 each year.
The second 1.3-mill levy for a new North High School would raise $4.4 million annually for 35 years to pay back an $85 million bond. This would be an additional $45.50 each year for homeowners with a home valued at $100,000.
Some parents understand district’s push for new levy
Chris Boswell, an Akron parent with kids attending Mason Community Learning Center and Miller South School for the Visual and Performing Arts, said he had not heard much about the levy before speaking with volunteers. He’s a regular voter who prefers to pay more in city and state taxes than federal.
Investing in students’ futures makes sense to him, prompting him to lean toward supporting the levy.
“It affects us way more deeply than paying more in federal taxes,” Boswell said.
Another Akron voter, La Donna Harden, said she always supports school levies and that the time is right for a new North High School. She added it wasn’t fair that North Hill was the only neighborhood without a new school.
“If you’re going to give it to one, give it to all,” Harden said.
Nathaniel Kelly, who graduated from Firestone CLC and has a child attending King CLC, said he’s always supportive of levies.
“Education in the community is important,” Kelly said. “If they need money, I trust the people in charge to be asking for it for the right reasons.”
🗳️For more on this year’s November election, visit our Election Signals 2024 page.
Levy hesitation among broader community
Trust in the school district isn’t universal in Akron, as residents have questioned the administration’s fiscal decisions at recent board meetings. Chapman said she has heard concerns from residents who balked at November’s levy.
“We have heard people who have valid concerns about Akron Public Schools and some of the things that haven’t gone so well,” Chapman said. “We know we have work to do.”
Chapman said she has heard from residents who have questions about how the district issues contracts, how financial decisions are made, who these decisions serve and how they set students up for success in academics and life.
“They want to know more about actual numbers of successes and students who are experiencing positive results in our district,” she said. “They want transparency and I think that’s what our district strives for.”
Organizers highlight the district’s financial transparency and clean slate of audits for the past 12 years — despite its current financial constraints — as selling points for the levy.
More than a decade since last levy ask
“It’s been 12 years since APS has gone to the voters. It’s virtually unheard of for an urban school district in Ohio to go 12 years,” said Adam Motter, a social studies learning specialist who’s been with the district since 1991. “Fiscally, Akron Public Schools has had perfect audits every year from the state. We try and manage the money as wisely as possible.”
Motter has been through levy pushes earlier in his career. This time, though, he feels the community is more receptive to the district’s needs.
“I don’t have any evidence to back that up. It just feels different,” Motter said.
Looking forward, the Citizens Committee is planning to continue connecting with residents during Labor Day activities. Its formal campaign launch is Sept. 9, followed later in the month by the launch of digital marketing and direct mail campaigns.
Chapman is confident that increased voter turnout during the general election will bode well for efforts to pass the school levy.
“I think it was really important for us to go at this time and not to wait,” Chapman said. “The time is now. … I do think that there’s hope there that more people coming out works in our favor.
“I think that if I run into a lot of negative responses and feedback I may feel a little different, but I’m not.”
