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Informational Letter to Community from Superintendent
Dear Perrysburg School District Residents,

The purpose of this letter is to inform the public about recent action taken by the Board of Education, which is asking voters to consider adopting an operational levy to help the school district maintain its current level of service to our rapidly growing student population. The Board voted unanimously on July 15, 2019 to place this levy on the November 5, 2019 ballot.

As has been utilized in the past, the proposed levy is incremental; it would grow in preset increments for the next five years as our population continues to grow. It would begin at 7.9 mills and end at 14.2 mills. Instead of setting a fixed millage rate for the life of the levy, an incremental levy sets a dollar amount to be collected each year. In communities with a growing tax base like Perrysburg, as more people move into the school district, the less each needs to pay to collect the total amount. Using today’s school district valuation, in the first year the owner of a $200,000 home would pay $46.08 each month, the second year it would increase by $9.34, the third year it would increase by $9.33, the fourth year it would increase by $9.33 and the fifth year it would increase by $8.75.

Since 2008, our student population has grown by 19%, or 882 students. To put this in perspective, this is more students than are currently attending Perrysburg Junior High School. Because Perrysburg Schools is a fast-growing district, the number of students counted in its state funding formula is “capped,” which resulted in a loss of $3.9 million in funding this past school year alone. Because of this cap, state-provided funding does not keep pace with our growth.

After considering several options, and a detailed study of district growth trends and needs, the Board of Education determined this levy is crucial to Perrysburg Schools’ day-to-day operations. The funds would be used for operational expenses to maintain our current level of service to an enlarging student body, as well as safety and security updates.

If the levy fails on Tuesday, November 5, 2019, Perrysburg Schools would be required by the Ohio Department of Education to immediately implement $2.7 million of mid-year reductions. Then it would be required to implement up to an additional $5.9 million in reductions prior to the start of the 2020-2021 school year. Even if a levy were to pass in 2020, the school district would not receive any additional funding until 2021, so these reductions would still take place at the start of the 2020-2021 school year.

Perrysburg Schools is one of only 28 school districts in Ohio that received an overall "A" grade from the Ohio Department of Education in its most recent Report Card, putting us in the top 5% in the state. Perrysburg Schools' overall expenditure per pupil as well as its administrative expenditure per pupil are below the state average per the FY18 Ohio Department of Education District Profile/Cupp Report.

For more information, please visit our web site at http://www.perrysburgschools.net/Superintendent.aspx or feel free to call or email me.
We appreciate all that this community has done to ensure all students achieve their greatest potential.

Sincerely,
Thomas L. Hosler
Superintendent
[email protected]