Frequently Asked Questions

Ohio schools are primarily funded through local property taxes. The funding model requires voter approval to increase the schools revenue. As costs rise over time, the district must ask the voters for an increase. Just like your costs have risen, so have the costs for our schools. The last time voters approved an increase was in 2019. Due to rising costs, the district requires a new levy.

If the district is unable to pass a levy this November, it will be forced to make serious cuts to balance the budget in accordance with state requirements.

Rising Deficits: The district is currently facing a $1.79 million deficit in the 2024-25 school year and a $4.79 million deficit in the 2025-26 school year

Unfunded Building Repairs: Given an average building age of 63 years, continuous repairs are significantly depleting the general fund. We have a backlog of $59 million in unfunded maintenance. The middle school is over 100 years old. Lee Eaton is sinking. Every building has significant maintenance and repair needs. 

Loss of Student Opportunities: If the levy fails, class sizes will increase, staff will be cut, and programs will be eliminated. Additional services and programs that we offer to help our most vulnerable and most advanced students will have to be cut. This will jeopardize the quality of education for every student.

Less Investment In Safety and Security: Safety is an ongoing and evolving issue. We provide SRO’s in every building and have fortified our buildings according to industry recommendations. Funds are needed for continued safety and security improvements, which ensure a safe learning environment for all students.

This levy will cost approximately $14.58 per month for every $100,000 of appraised property value. You can check your appraised value here at the Summit County Auditor Website

Nordonia has the 4th lowest tax rate in Summit County. Nordonia has historically stretched our levy dollars well beyond the initial projections. This has allowed us to stay on the low end of tax rates while being one of the top districts in the area. 

Over the last 2 years the district has cut over $2 million in annual spending and eliminated 13 teaching positions. They have also enrolled in numerous cost consortiums to save on bulk purchase of supplies and services. The district is exploring every option to consolidate, increase efficiency, and cut spending.

Yes and No. Ohio passed HB 920 in 1976 to prevent districts from seeing an increase in tax revenue without voter approval. During the recent tax assessment, some residents saw a tax decrease, others saw an increase, and some stayed about the same. At the district level, the amount of funding approved by voters in 2019 is locked in by the HB 920 law. When the county increases your property taxes, we do not receive that equivalent increase correlated to our voted tax rate. Voters must approve an increase in funding.The schools will always recieve the same funding level approved by voters in 2019 until the voters approve a new levy.

However, there are adjustments made to inside millage. Unvoted millage, also known as inside millage, is levied by local governments without a vote of the people. The maximum allocation of inside millage is 10 mills and is divided between county, school district, municipalities, and/or the township of each taxing district. Due to adjustments of the inside millage, Nordonia saw an increase of approx $1.4 million annually.

Public education is the bedrock of our society. Everyone contributes to ensure children receive a good primary education. This prepares kids to pursue apprenticeships, vocational degrees, military service, and other education that allows them to contribute back to society. It also ensures they pay back into the system funding property taxes, schools, Social Security, Medicare, and other essential programs. 

We can look around at other local communities and see the impact of failing schools. Families leave, property values drop, businesses close and take jobs with them, and crime and other social ills increase. The future of Nordonia is in all of our hands. We live in a thriving community. Good public schools ensure Nordonia continues to thrive and be a great place to live.

We are all in this together.  

Nordonia is mirroring a national and regional trend. With less babies being born, there is a small decline projected over the next 10 years. Nordonia Schools will need to consolidate the number of staff, and eventually buildings, to ensure we serve our student body efficiently. The administration is already “right sizing” by reducing staff in line with student populations. That process will continue gradually so we can maintain a high quality education.

Nordonia Schools has been awarded the “Auditor’s Award With Distinction” annually for many years. Less than 5% of Ohio school districts earn this award; it is the highest honor awarded by the Auditor. 

“By keeping accurate financial records, governing bodies demonstrate their commitment to efficient, effective, and transparent service,” Auditor Keith Faber said. “This award honors public entities that have put in the hard work to keep their finances in order.”

In May of 2019, a 6.98 mill operating levy passed overwhelmingly. The district promised to maintain class sizes and busing, make needed repairs to aging facilities and systems, increase mental health services for students in need, and add programs to keep Nordonia students competitive with students from area school districts. The district has kept its word and delivered on each of those promises. Inflation has simply risen enough to require an increase in funding to maintain the same quality of education.

The cost of everything rises over time. Just as your household costs have increased since 2019, so have the district’s costs. To make significant enough cuts to balance the budget would result in disastrous impacts on our students. Exploding class sizes, cutting to bare minimum class offerings, cutting all transportation, increasing fees for sports and other activities, etc. It would take Nordonia from one of the top districts in the state, to a struggling district with bare minimum offerings overnight. The consequences would extend beyond our schools and cause deep harm to our entire community.

The district is working on short and long-term plans to lower costs. Over $2 million in cost reductions and 13 teacher position cuts have already been made. The district will continue to scale down and right-size to match our student population. If we do that with a levy it is a gradual process that maintains our high-quality schools and allows us to land the plane safely. If we do that without a levy, we will crash the plane and be left to put the broken pieces back together. Students, residents, and the community would all pay a steep cost in opportunity and quality of life. A decade of Nordonia students would graduate less prepared for the world, forever altering their life path and opportunities.