Youngstown City School Tax Levy

[AllanY2525]

I no longer live in Youngstown, so I cannot vote for - or against - the levy.  But, as a
property owner, I don't think I would vote for the levy either.  I own a house on the North
Side that has annual property taxes of about $200 a year - this levy would MORE THAN
DOUBLE my property taxes.

I think, that if passed, it would only serve to drive more families out of the city to
other districts where they can get better educational opportunities for their children
in better school systems.

[our2cents]

Well, another wrong move was made this week.  They've decided to  break all the students hearts in 4-6th grade.  After getting their hearts set on dressing up for Halloween, the school (west) decided to leave it up to the teachers to decide if the kids could dress in their costumes.  The k-3 were allowed to dress and parade, but all the teachers (and ultimately principal...it is her responsibility) at the last moment told all 4-6th grade that they were excluded.  My children came home crying because they couldn't dress down in the outfits they planned to wear the very next morning!

My children were so upset over this last minute change, they did not want to goto school to be left out.  They were practically in a collapse over it.  They're also now wanting to be home schooled next year because they said "we hate all the stupid changes they keep making and ruining any fun that the A students are hoping to have".

You can not dump the teachers/asst principal/other staff that is excellent.  Then dump the kids hearts to even want to be there, especially when they're some of your best students.  Then expect the parents to vote for the dang levy again.

Wendy Webb and staff were walking the west side this weekend trying to get votes.  It seems as if they did not want to hear from anyone that has students in West.  They skipped all of our houses (10 different families in the same 2 blocks).  We talked to the other kids parents because we were hoping they just missed our house when they showed up on our elderly neighbors doorstep.  She said they were begging her to vote for the levy.  She also said they seemed to blow off any negative comments when the issue of breaking kids hearts came up.

Myself and 4 other people I know, submitted absentee ballots after being skipped Saturday and it's a definite NO!

[our2cents]

I agree that there are some positive improvements.  Unfortunately, the negatives sure seem to bury them.  This area is already in trouble as it is.

The real shame...I supported the district on all past levies.  Between the last failure and the wrong moves they've made since then, I can't justify voting for them again.

[rusty river]

I'm torn over this. The school board has done its job and the district is now bringing in more money than it is losing. But this area is already heavily taxed, and considering the current state of the economy, its reasonable to assume the extra burden on city homeowners is going to result in a net loss of the tax base. Coupled with the poor educational performance of the district, this levy will be next to impossible to pass.

[our2cents]

Sure looks right to me.  A comparison chart at:
http://www.eia.doe.gov/cneaf/electricity/page/prim2/charts.html
Lists:
U.S. Dollar = 1,000  (One Thousand)  Mills 
U.S. Cent = 10  (Ten)  Mills
SO:
9.5 mills is equal to $.0095
so $30,000 x .0095 = $285.00
so biyearly pymt addition of $142.50
23.75 per month.

For those of us on a fixed income, that sure makes it that much harder to even consider it.  I'm voting against it....again.

And I have 2 children in the district.  The school they attend has removed teachers, asst principal (that kept the kids in line), and made numerous cuts.  Yet, the board and main departments still are overstaffed in my opinion.  And it's not that this would help the value of my house or how people view the housing in Youngstown....so again...I'm against it.

[Elmo-Ytown]

If I'm doing the math correctly, for a property with a value of $30,000 this works out to $285 yearly. Am I right?

Where can I read more about this?

[MV_Viewpoints]

The Youngstown City School levy would be 9.5 mills for 4 years.