JVote Letter on the Cleveland Heights-University Heights Tax Levy, Issue 109

The Education Committee of JVote has spent the last two months researching and evaluating the upcoming Cleveland Heights-University Heights School Levy ballot issue. Most recently, the Committee met with Scott Gainer, CFO for the District, and Ryan Routh, Co-Chair of the Levy Committee who presented the case in favor of the levy.

Our community needs to know that the challenges the District faces are not simple. This includes the state funding formula which has placed the burden of operational funding on the residents of the District and state legislation that prohibits property taxes from keeping up with inflation.

It is important to state publicly that even as many of us among the JVote constituency choose a parochial education for our children, we acknowledge the importance of a quality public school system for our city. Our property values and our quality of life are tied directly to a thriving and attractive public school district.

However, despite the above, the JVote constituency has a number of concerns that are important for our community to consider:

• Cleveland Heights taxes are a challenge for homeowners. We are a diverse community who values living in Cleveland Heights for all the amenities it offers. There are those that support the levy for the same reasons as the levy committee. And there are those who are struggling under the current tax rate. An additional levy would only exacerbate the financial challenges many in our community are already trying to overcome. Furthermore, the District has failed to address the financial and communal burden created by the closed Coventry and Millikin schools. Our city deserves creative solutions that will redevelop these properties to create new revenue for the city and the District.
• Private school parents also deserve respect. We are deeply concerned and troubled by the rhetoric and actions of some in the District and the Levy Committee that have chosen to single out private school parents for their educational choices. This pitting of community against community only succeeds in encouraging others to place the blame for the District’s troubles on private school families.
• We do not feel valued by the CH-UH school district. As our community grows in Cleveland Heights, so do the property tax revenues supporting CH-UH schools. We want to be partners with the District and be valued for our contribution to the community. The years of neglect of the Millikin property have been a particularly frustrating issue for our community, not to mention a financial drain on the District. We are also ignored when it comes to decisions that most directly affect us, like the recent installation of a small playground at Millikin school about which we were never approached.
• We do not hear long-term solutions being offered. Public education is a difficult and evolving arena. Districts like the Cleveland Metropolitan School District have undertaken broad initiatives to improve its schools and pivot the district for the future. We cannot only depend on state of the art facilities to bring test scores up and create a thriving school system. Where are the District’s long-term operational plans after the five-year strategic plan that will meet the needs of our city’s children at a price we can all afford?

The Education Committee has heard the Levy Committee’s statement of need. However, we also acknowledge the challenges of many in our community to meet the tax burden as it stands today and the lack of recognition that our community, too, has something to contribute to the District. Given this, JVote will not take an official position on the levy ballot issue and encourages its constituency to vote their conscience on Issue 109 on Election Day.

Signed:
JVote Membership

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