Attempts by school districts to get new funding from taxpayers saw mixed success Tuesday night across Northeast Ohio, according to unofficial results, in an election dominated nationwide by voter concern over the cost of living.
School districts like Painesville and Mentor averted major cuts in with successful levies. Meanwhile, levies in Willoughby-Eastlake and Barberton failed. Both districts said major cuts would be needed if that happened. Barberton in particular is already in a state of fiscal emergency. In Tuscarawas County, voters in the Claymont City School District actually approved a tax decrease for the district they placed on the ballot by citizen initiative.
More than 60 schools had levies on the ballot in Northeast Ohio this November. About half were renewals of previous taxes. The other half were a mix of property tax or income tax increases to fund operations or construction of new school facilities.
School districts across Ohio are facing complex financial challenges. Costs have risen for everyone, including schools, while advocates argue that the state is underfunding schools. Skepticism also abounds in some communities about districts' needs for new funding, after property taxes increased significantly in recent years due to state-mandated reappraisals.
The backlash on property taxes as an overall funding vehicle for schools has been severe, with some Ohioans attempting to put an issue on the November 2026 ballot to abolish all property taxes. Some school district did turn to an income tax increase as an alternative, but the vast majority of those proposals appeared to fail Tuesday night. Those attempts were also largely unsuccessful in May.
Some schools in Northeast Ohio said stakes were high this election. Strongsville school leaders have said the district would need to cut down to "state minimum" operations, ending middle school sports and a slew of extracurriculars and electives. Cuyahoga County's board of election is still tabulating election results.
Mentor school leaders said its levy narrowly passing averts cuts to dozens of positions. Mentor School Board President Maggie Cook said the district's levy attempt being smaller than its last attempt helped it amid concerns about affordability among voters. She said the state still needs to address issues in its school-funding system.
"We understand that everyone is in a difficult financial situation right now. And that's why, you know, the passage of this levy, you know, really just kind of represents their trust and we deeply appreciate it. But we also know that we need to work hard to make sure that the needs of school funding are fixed. This levy is a five-year levy. And we're hoping that after this five years is over, we have a different plan with the state of Ohio with school funding."
School closure decisions were also hanging in the balance this election. Leaders at Painesville and Willoughby-Eastlake schools had said they will need to close school buildings if their levies failed. Painesville's levy passed, while Willoughby-Eastlake's failed.
Leaders at school districts like Barberton, Strongsville, Mentor and others say they've already made significant cuts after past levies failed. Barberton schools cut 80 positions earlier this year. Its levy attempt, a five-year, 1% income tax levy failing means it faces an even steeper need to cut its budget.
This is a developing story and will be updated.
