Issue 4, Cincinnati Public Schools' proposed new property tax, has passed by a margin of 61% to 39%, with 100% of precincts reporting. It's the school district's first new money levy in 10 years.
The tax will bring in an estimated $66.3 million in additional revenue for the district each year for the next five years, starting in 2027. District leaders say that new money will prevent a projected deficit of more than $44 million in the coming years and major budget cuts next fall.
It's expected to cost taxpayers $245 per $100,000 of home value.
CPS parent and levy campaign volunteer Sarah Beach says that funding will keep the school district on the right track.
"We're not going to have to have larger classroom sizes or look at consolidating schools or losing transportation," she told WVXU. "This levy was so critical for our kids, and our teachers, and our schools."
Cincinnati Public Schools recently celebrated its first 3-star rating on the School Report Card from the Ohio Department of Education and Workforce, outperforming comparable school districts in Cleveland and Columbus.
Issue 4 was endorsed by a variety of local organizations and elected leaders who said the funding was needed to keep one of Ohio's largest school districts on the right track.
Still, the ballot measure faced opposition in the weeks leading up to Election Day.
In early September, Cincinnati Regional Chamber CEO Brendon Cull and Cincinnati Business Committee President Gary Lindgren sent a letter to school leaders asking them to pause the levy effort until next year. The two business organizations cited a lack of a clear financial plan and stakeholder engagement as reasons to oppose the property tax.
Issue 4 also faced an anti-levy campaign from the Coalition for an Affordable Cincinnati, a newly formed PAC with funders linked to the Republican Party.
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