Conneaut school board readies new levy

By MARK TODD - Staff Writer - mtodd@starbeacon.com
Star Beacon

July 13, 2008 12:49 am

— CONNEAUT — Voters in Conneaut will apparently have another chance this fall to ride to the financial rescue of the city’s school district.
Conneaut’s Board of Education, at Thursday’s regular meeting, is expected to begin the process that would put a five-year, $1.3 million emergency levy on the Nov. 4 general election ballot.
The structure of the proposed levy would be very similar to the $1.2 million measure rejected by voters in March, Michael Kennedy, board president, said Friday. “It’s the same style as before,” he said.
Board members have recently opted for emergency levies because of their ability to raise the precise amount of money needed by the district. The $1.3 million target figure requires slightly less than seven mills of tax, Kennedy said.
November’s levy will be the fourth attempt in two years to supplement the Conneaut Area City Schools district budget. The March issue was rejected by less than 70 votes.
The defeat of the March levy triggered cuts that will occur at the start of the 2008-2009 school year. Busing will be eliminated for students who live within two miles of their school. Busing will still be provided Joint Vocational School students.
Selected sports programs at Conneaut High School and Conneaut Middle School were also cut by the board in the wake of the levy defeat, only to be reinstated when a citizens’ committee raised enough money to salvage the programs for one year.
Another $500,000 in cuts, approved by the board prior to the March election, will also take effect next month. Certified and classified personnel cuts were among those budget reductions.