In the wake of enactment of the Cleveland Plan (HB 525), the Cleveland City Schools announced their intention of asking voters to approve a 15-mill levy this fall.  As voters, and other concerned Ohioans, study the issue it is helpful to have some background information on the levy, the school district and the Cleveland Plan in order to understand the context of these often complex issues.

This first post (in a planned series) will focus on the basics of the levy and the school district.

Levy Basics

• Projected $77 million in annual revenue
• $5.5 million to go to charter schools that partner with the district (the first such agreement in the state of Ohio).
• The owner of a $100,000 house would pay an additional $459 (beyond the $970 they are currently paying).
• The owner of the average Cleveland home ($64,000) would pay an additional $294, (currently paying $621).
• The levy is temporary and will expire after 4 years unless it is renewed or replaced by voters.
• The last successful levy, a 13.5-mill operating levy that passed in November 1996, raised roughly $67 million per year and remains in effect as a permanent levy (voters overwhelmingly rejected a 2005 attempt to raise $45 million).

The Cleveland City Schools

• Expected annual revenue: $611 million for FY2013 (down from $649 million in 2012).
• Total expenditures: $655 million in 2012, $650 million in 2013.
• Projected deficit: $19 million for FY2013.
• Enrollment: sharp decline from 78,190 in 2000 to 50,078 in 2008 and 43,202 in 2011.  That mirrors the city’s population decline (505,616 residents in 1990 – 396,815 in 2010).
•  Schools: 27 high schools, 70 elementary schools, several special program centers

Information comes from Ohio Department of Education 5-Year Forecasts for Cleveland Metropolitan Schools, media accounts, and the district website.