Woodridge School Board Places New Levy on August Ballot

It's on.

At Tuesday night's meeting, the voted, 4-0, to put a new issue on the Aug. 7 ballot. That was the easy part.

Now, the board has three months and change to figure out how it can pass the 6.83-mill levy aimed at generating $15 million over the next five years.

The hard part? Convincing a small but evasive percentage of voters to take on the extra $209 per year in property taxes for every $100,000 in valuation.

The last two levies -- proposed this past November and March -- failed by under 250 votes apiece, according to the Summit County Board of Elections.

In April, the board held three voter forums to determine why it couldn't capture the decisive minority. The consensus among voters was the board needed to be more transparent with its financials and should take action against the WEA and OAPSE to renogotiate collective bargaining agreements that make up over 80 percent of the district's $20 million annual budget.

The union contracts don't expire till the summer of 2013, and, as of yet, neither association has agreed to come to the table.

However, the board has taken several measures to keep the budget in the black.

Following March's levy failure, school officials approved a plan and implemented

All in all, they've averted $700,000 in costs, which has bought the district a valuable commodity -- time.

The budget will remain in the black by about $300,000 throughout the 2013-14 school year; yet, by the end of 2015, expenditures will balloon and the school system will sink $8.6 million in the red unless a levy is passed, according to an updated five-year budget forecast.

Will you vote to pass the levy? Take the poll or leave a comment below.