Nordonia levy fails at polls

by Laura Bednar

The 5-mill levy for the Nordonia Hills City School District failed at the polls on March 19 with 5,466 votes against the levy (65.22%) and 2,915 for the levy (34.78%), according to final official results from the Summit County Board of Elections.

The levy would have cost taxpayers $175 for each $100,000 of the county fiscal officer’s appraised property value and was estimated to collect $7.3 million each year. Four mills would have been dedicated to operating expenses, and the remaining mill would have gone towards permanent improvements.

“Without the passage of the levy, the district will not have the increased revenue that would have begun in January of 2025,” said Nordonia Hills Board of Education Vice President Liz McKinley. “Therefore, the five-year forecast shows that we will continue to deficit spend.”

She added that though the board recently approved cost-saving measures, the district still needs increased revenue. The board of education will discuss next steps at a meeting in the near future.

“We respect the community’s decision regarding the levy. Although it presents challenges, we’ll find solutions to continue providing quality education,” said Superintendent Casey Wright. “Our mission remains to foster a safe and challenging learning environment. We’ll work to understand and address concerns collaboratively with transparency and dialogue.” ∞