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The Lorain City School Board voted unanimously Aug. 1 to place a $3.1 million renewal levy on the November ballot.
But they plan to remove it if CEO David Hardy remains in charge of the struggling school district.
During the meeting, one board member and the city’s interim mayor said they would not support the levy if Hardy stays.
“I always think that you never down a levy and a renewal is a no brainer,” board member William Sturgill said. “But if it comes in November and Mr. Hardy is still here, I will probably vote no on that levy, and I would probably encourage my friends to do the same.”
Lorain’s interim mayor, Joseph Koziura, said he felt the same.
“If Mr. Hardy is still here when that date of the elections comes around… it might be questionable whether I’m going to run up and down the streets… to support (the levy),” he said.
Approving levies is the only power the board has had since Lorain schools came under state control in 2017. If passed, the levy would increase property taxes by 51.5 cents per $100 of a property’s assessed value.
Board members had to approve the levy by Aug. 7 so voters could consider it this fall. But there’s no deadline for removing it from the ballot. The school board will have to reimburse the Lorain Board of Elections if the levy is removed after ballots are printed.
After voting for the levy, the board directed its lawyer to prepare a resolution for removing it, if necessary.
