On Election Day, voters in Cleveland overwhelmingly approved a new 10-year, 8.6 mill levy to fund operations. The issue also included a renewal of an expiring bond issue.
But despite the levy's passage, the financial fortunes ahead for the district are rocky. A five-year forecast approved by CMSD's board of education this week show steep cuts are still needed to prevent the district from running into the red.
The Akron Public Schools administration led by Superintendent Michael Robinson has been told by its board of education to find more places to cut in its expenses. The district also passed a combined levy and bond issue earlier this month.
We will begin Friday’s “Sound of Ideas Reporters Roundtable” with the financial choices ahead for the two districts.
We will also cover other news of the week, where Matt Huffman of Lima is on track to be the next speaker of the Ohio House. Huffman is the outgoing Senate president who won his seat in the Ohio House earlier this month. The Ohio House GOP caucus voted unanimously this week to nominate Huffman as the next speaker.
Increased property appraisals and rising property taxes have home and business owners concerned. As we saw in the run-up to the election, many households say they are at their financial limit due to rising costs. But any substantive help on property tax reform will not be coming before the end of this legislative session in Columbus.
Could Cleveland get back into the women’s basketball game? The ownership group behind the Cleveland Cavaliers is making a bid to land a new WNBA expansion team. Cleveland previously hosted an original WNBA team, the Rockers. That club folded in 2003. The WNBA is enjoying a surge in popularity.
Guests:
-Glenn Forbes, Supervising Producer for Newscasts, Ideastream Public Media
-Conor Morris, Education Reporter, Ideastream Public Media
-Karen Kasler, Statehouse News Bureau Chief, Ohio Public Radio/TV