My name is Katherine Ramsey and I am a certified tax preparer through the IRS and State of Ohio. I am
seeking to clarify BGCS Superintendent’s statements regarding the school tax and his attempt at
transparency.
In the fall edition of the BOBCAT BULLETIN, the message from the superintendent states the
“newsletter marks a significant step in enhancing transparency and keeping our community well-
informed.” That’s a good start; however the superintendent is not being entirely and completely honest.
Please refer to the section titled “2024 Operating Levey FAQ? How will this income tax affect our senior
citizens?” The article states that “Social Security benefits are NOT taxed”, which is true, however it
doesn’t tell the whole story.
What about other types of retirement income such as 401k or Public Employee Retirement funds? Yes,
they are 100% taxed by the school district so it most certainly has an effect on senior citizens.
The article goes on to talk about the credit. It states “In addition, seniors receive a $50.00 senior citizen
school district income tax credit which is allowed against the tax liability for each return filed. It may
be claimed if the taxpayer is 65 years of age or older anytime during the year. “
Notice that you will not receive the credit per person but rather per return. In addition, the credit is
meaningless if you only receive Social Security since there would be no tax liability.
What about those of you who are on Social Security at age 62? You don’t get the credit but then again, if
there’s no other income, you wouldn’t need the credit.
The way he talks about the credit is quite misleading and to me, deceitful.
The county just re-evaluated property values which increased the school tax based on the higher values of homes and property. The school district just got a huge raise on the tax levy just passed!
Give us a break! The voters said NO on the increase in the income tax. NO means NO! In my opinion,
the school should not be able to keep pushing these taxes on the people on every election,
In reference to the new spring edition of the BOBCAT BULLETIN, his first statement is “how you would
like our school district to look.” He shows a simplistic view of a graph of the life cycle of school funding.
How about showing a simple graph of the inflation rate of Ohio? Here’s one copied from
https://www.jec.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/republicans/ohio-inflation-report/
How do you expect your average citizen to add more expenses per month so that you can get a raise and
make the school “look better”!
Katherine Ramsey
Rudolph
(Editor’s Note: The operating levy FAQ information put out by the district does list the types of retirement income that is taxed. It states: Income that is NOT taxed: social security benefits; disability and survivor benefits; railroad retirement benefits; welfare benefits; child support; property received as a gift, bequest or inheritance; and workers’ compensation benefits. Income that is taxed: wages; salaries; tips; interest; dividends; unemployment compensation; self-employment to the extent included in OAGI; taxable scholarships and fellowships; pensions; annuities; IRA distributions; capital gains; state and local bond interest (except that paid by Ohio governments); federal bond interest exempt from federal tax but subject to state tax; alimony received; and all other sources.)
