Berkshire School’s Renewal PI Levy Fails at Ballot
Berkshire Schools was hit with an unexpected upset Nov. 5, when its 40-year-old, 2.5-mill permanent improvement renewal levy failed at the ballot by 472 votes, according to final unofficial results of the Geauga County Board of Elections.
Berkshire Schools was hit with an unexpected upset Nov. 5, when its 40-year-old, 2.5-mill permanent improvement renewal levy failed at the ballot by 472 votes, according to final unofficial results of the Geauga County Board of Elections.
With 3,189 voters in favor of the levy and 3,661 against it, Superintendent John Stoddard said Tuesday night the vote shows the school needs to be more involved with the community.
“This result highlights the need to engage further with our residents to address concerns and work collaboratively to identify alternative ways to support the needs of our schools,” he said.
The levy yields about $439,000 annually and costs homeowners $22 per year per $100,000 property valuation, according to the Geauga County Auditor’s Office.
The Berkshire Schools Board of Education and Stoddard planned to use the revenue to cover part of the cost of the construction of early childhood facilities near the playground on the northeast corner of the new, all-grade school next to the Kent State University – Geauga campus.
“Maintaining high-quality facilities and resources for our students remains a priority, and we will carefully evaluate our options moving forward,” he said.
The eight-classroom, early-childhood facility modular building will include spaces for preschool and kindergarten students with special needs and will cost about $2.3 million, Stoddard told the school board in March.
The work was expected to begin during the summer, but was delayed because the manufacturer could not get the fire dampers required by the state, board member Bryan Wadsworth said in a recent interview.
“While we are disappointed with the outcome of the renewal permanent improvement levy, we respect our community’s decision,” Stoddard said Tuesday. “We appreciate the ongoing dedication of our staff, families and the community, and we will continue working together to ensure the best possible educational environment for all students in the Berkshire local schools district.”
