School Board Members Explain Levy Decision

Members of the Twinsburg School board agreed on one thing: There would be a vote on a 6.9-mill renewal levy in 2013.

But school board members disagreed on whether the vote should be held in August or November. Ultimately, the board decided 3-2 to hold the renewal levy in August.

The board members discussed the matter Monday morning before voting. Those who voted for August were board members Ron Stuver, Stephen Shebeck and Kate Cain-Criswell, the board president. Also supporting August was the district administration, including Superintendent Kathi Powers.

Stuver said one reason he wants to hold the vote in August is to prevent it from distracting the staff from all the important work they do.

"Our staff is trying to stay focused on all of those issues, and the longer we drag out the decision on this levy issue the more distraction the staff has during the school year," Stuver said Monday. "We need to make this decision and move on."

"The sooner we get it out of the way the better off our district will be," Shebeck added.

But board members Paul Crosby, the vice president, and David Andrews believed that November was the better time to hold the levy. They said that voters are not as engaged with school issues in early August and they worried that turnout would be low.

Crosby also said he believed November would offer the best transparency and give the district time to educate voters.

"We are trying to pass this levy," he said. "That's the bottom line."

Powers said holding the levy vote in August will allow the district to hold another vote in November if necessary, so long as the district handles it the correct way.

"The bottom line is this is about financial reality and we need a levy passed this year," she said.

The levy equals about $4.4 million in revenue for the school district each year. If passed, it would be approved for another five years.

What do you think? Should the levy vote be held in August or November? Or not at all? Tell us in the comments!