The Streetsboro School District has a new operating levy on the upcoming ballot on May 5 to alleviate the financial burden that has already required the District to make significant cuts to the teaching staff and athletic programs.
“We have been trying to pass a levy now for 12 months,” Treasurer Brian Haines told The Weekly Villager. “We were on the ballot back in the spring of 2025 and the fall of 2025 and because they didn’t pass, we are starting to make reductions and the longer we go without passing new money, the more reductions that will have to occur.”
The District is seeking to pass a new operating levy to raise $7 million across a five-year term.
In the District’s most recent attempt to pass the levy in November of 2025 only 36% of the voters were in favor of the levy.
Haines said that one of the District’s biggest obstacles in having the levy pass is that if voters approve the levy, the money would come from increasing property taxes throughout the community as the proposed levy would assess $245 per $100,000 of property-appraised value.
The financial cost would not just affect homeowners but business owners as well.
“A property tax levy hits not only residents but businesses, everyone that owns a business or owns property in the City of Streetsboro will be paying money,” Haines added. “Their property tax bill would increase the following calendar year.”
According to Haines, the last time that the District had an operating levy approved by the voters was in 2019.
After two unsuccessful attempts at passing an operating levy, the District has already made significant cuts, by eliminating middle school, freshmen and junior varsity sports in the spring season.
“All of these reductions hurt our students’ experience in school, and no one wants to make these reductions. However, we believe that the academics are a very big part of a students’ education and come first and we are trying to find out ways to reduce costs before we have to hit academics,” noted Haines.
In addition to cutting athletic programs, Haines said that the District also has eliminated several teaching and classified staff positions.
“You need to have a good student-to-teacher ratio and always be cognizant of having a good student-to-teacher ratio, we can’t have one-to-one, so it is never easy to make those decisions,” acknowledged Haines.
In the wake of the levy failing to pass for the second time, Haines said that the District has proposed additional financial cuts for the 2026-27 academic year, as Athletic Director Randy Tevepaugh’s and Athletic Secretary Jon Hannan’s positions will be reduced to part-time.
The proposed changes will also see the District eliminate all middle school, freshmen and junior varsity sports across the school year, not just to the spring season.
Haines conceded that eliminating athletic programs across an entire school year carried a significant impact to students’ experience.
“The Board didn’t make reductions in specific areas in the hope that drives people out to vote ‘yes’ for it,” said Haines. “They are making reductions that they felt were best for our students.”
Haines said that the District’s troubling financial position has been anticipated for several years, and the consequences of having not passed an operating levy are beginning to trickle down throughout the both the District and the athletic programs.
“This is when we have to go for new money, so it has been a consistent message over the last four years now but since the levy didn’t pass the last calendar year and because now collections won’t start for an additional calendar year, that is why is has gotten to the point that it has,” Haines said.
While the financial impact will be felt at a more extreme level if the levy once again does not pass, Haines said that the District will have one more chance to pass it in the fall of 2026 If the levy passes this year, the District can start collecting the money in January of 2027.
If the levy in May does pass, Haines said that administration will recommend to the Board to cancel the proposed financial cuts for the 2026-27 school year.
