Board moves forward with 5-mill levy

by Laura Bednar

June 20 board of education meeting

The Nordonia Hills Board of Education took the first step to put a 5-mill levy on the November ballot for funding operations and permanent improvements.

The board discussed the levy before voting 4-1 to move forward, using 4 mills for operations and 1 mill for permanent improvements.

Board member Matt Kearney, the dissenting vote, said the current cost of living is astronomical and “the community has said they can’t afford it.”

He suggested waiting to ask for more money after the district’s current bond issue from 2001 falls off, at the beginning of 2026.

Board President Chad Lahrmer said 5 mills was the lowest millage the district could ask for. “We have historically waited too long to ask for money,” he said. “We’re trying to get ahead of this so at the time the two mills falls off, we can start talking about [a new] building.”

He added that even consolidating two buildings into one would save the district money from an operational standpoint.

“Our needs haven’t changed,” board member Liz McKinley said, adding that Ohio House Bill 920 led to flat state funding for school districts, which forces the district to ask the community for more money.

Said board member Jason Tidmore, “I don’t think anybody would want us to wait until our savings account runs dry before asking for the funds we need to operate,” adding that costs are increasing and there is less revenue due to the flat funding.

The original levy scenarios: a levy for operations only, a levy for safety and security and a levy for operations and permanent improvements together. Kearney had suggested only moving forward with a 1-mill levy for security. Board member Amy Vajdich speculated that if the security levy passes in November, it will be too soon to go back to voters for operational funds in the near future.

In early discussions, Lahrmer said he was in favor of a 1-mill security levy as a separate item on the ballot in addition to a 4-mill operating levy.

Both Tidmore and McKinley were concerned that if the security levy and an operating levy were both on the ballot, people would vote for the smaller amount (the security levy), leaving the district without necessary operating funds.

Tidmore said there is enough money allocated for safety and security and suggested better communication with the community about the 5-mill levy.

“It’s a mistake to go back to the community … and not change what we’re doing,” said Kearney.

The 5-mill levy was sent to Summit County for certification.

Finances

Treasurer Kyle Kiffer received approval for several fund transfers from the general fund to other funds, including $1.45 million to permanent improvements, $78,771 to high school athletics and $62,444 for payment on the district’s debt from H.B. 264, related to energy conservation projects.

One insurance premium holiday was approved for July, saving the district between $650,000 and $700,000, according to Kiffer.

Contracts and donations

The board approved contracts for four school resource officers during the 2024-25 school year. The Summit County Sheriff’s Office will provide a full-time officer for Northfield Elementary and Nordonia Middle School. Sagamore Hills will provide a full-time officer for Rushwood Elementary. Macedonia will provide two full-time officers, one for Ledgeview Elementary and one for Nordonia High School, and Northfield Village will provide a part-time officer for Lee Eaton Intermediate.

The board approved by a 4-1 vote the 7 Mindsets curriculum. Superintendent Casey Wright said training for educators has already been completed, and the contract is minimal compared to previous years.

“This is less than half of what the previous contracts were,” he said. The cost is almost $50,000.

Kearney, the dissenting vote, said, “This is just an additional spend that I think we could have worked around and planned for ahead of time to have our teachers utilize the resources from Seven Mindsets that we already had and develop a program.”

Wright said after speaking with teachers, they are not ready to bring the program in house yet, but the plan is to reduce the program further next year.

The Nordonia SGO (Scholarship Granting Organization), a nonprofit created to help cover the cost of kindergarten tuition, donated $89,100 to provide full scholarships for 21 students enrolling in all-day kindergarten and give a $200 reduction to the remaining 141 students who applied for assistance. ∞