As an educator with 40+ years of teaching experience and someone who has worked on a few school levy campaigns, I know the value of updated and safe learning environments for students, staff, and community. As such, I can’t recall ever voting against a school levy. However, at the current time, it’s very unlikely I will support the Bowling Green School’s high school levy.
In late September, I received a flyer from the BG Citizens in Support of Our Schools about the upcoming High School levy, a request for which I had no previous knowledge as we’ve lived in BG just short of three years. I found the flyer incredibly lacking in information in regard to the need and the financial impact on voters. Thus, I began to dig for information. After no response to three emails (Oct. 3, 13, and 18) sent to three different district personnel, on October 20, I had phone contact with the district treasurer, who I want to thank for her listening, professionalism, and information.
Here’s what I learned and/or had confirmed with that call and from my own research.
1) The income taxes we pay to the schools will double (from 0.5% to 1%) for the next seven years.
2) Your property taxes will go up $136 per $100,000 of valuation due to the $49 million bond issue.
3) The combined impact of these taxes, on our fixed income retired household, will increase our school related taxes by around $700 per year, in what is already trying times due to inflation.
4) The district has opted not to utilize any state funding via the Ohio Facilities Commission if it were available.
5) The district website, under the facility tab, has assessment information and rationale which shows the predicted costs to be between $48 – $58 million; however, the levy request is for $70 million.
6) The Board of Education, according to the treasurer, opted “to take no active role” in the levy campaign. The treasurer had not seen the previously mentioned flyer sent out by the committee.
7) Any decisions on the elementary buildings will have a “wait and see” approach.
8) The October 18 BG Independent News reported that Tara Loar, the chairperson of the school levy campaign “acknowledged that a ‘quiet campaign’ is being led for the school issue.”
This last revelation, to me, is shocking, has me deeply questioning the district’s transparency, and suggests to me that not enough has been done to inform the full 24,000 voters in the community. If the need is so great, this levy should have been a LOUD campaign highlighting the need, justifying the large expense to taxpayers, engaging voters in frequent Q & A opportunities, calling registered voters, and showcasing the long-term advantage of this project to the full community. Instead, I find the “quiet campaign” insulting, frustrating, and one that may continue the divisiveness of past building campaigns that I observed from afar as a long-time resident of the Eastwood district.
Simply, I must question the methods used and not used by the district and the committee on the lead up to this vote. I encourage all BG residents to vote.
Mike Godfrey
Bowling Green
