MARYSVILLE, Ohio (WCMH) — Marysville Exempted Village School District has a 5.5 mill emergency operating levy on the May 6 ballot.  

The district’s last two proposed levies failed, and if this one meets that same fate, the district said cuts will need to be made. 

The levy would give Marysville about $6.8 million in revenue a year. Superintendent Dr. Diane Allen said the money is needed just to keep up with day-to-day operations.

“We’ve definitely had increasing costs, increasing enrollment, and most recently, we’ve learned that we will be picking up our preschool program,” Allen said.  

Marysville Schools Treasurer Todd Johnson said the district currently has one of the worst student-to-teacher ratios in the state and Marysville’s cost-per-pupil is in the bottom 17% of all Ohio schools.  

“We’re low on the expenditure side,” he said. “We’re even lower on the revenue side. So, you know, we’re doing what we can. We’re making the dollar stretch, but there’s a breaking point.” 

If the upcoming levy fails, 30 staff positions will be cut. Cuts would also include AP courses for high schoolers, art, physical education and music classes for elementary school students and the district’s theatre program.  

Parent Erica Goodwin said her children are devastated.  

“I have to listen to them daily talk about the teachers that they’re going to lose and that they’ll miss next year,” Goodwin said. “All of the programs there basically are being cut, anything that’s an elective. So she’s going to be stripped down to her basics: ELA, math, science, social studies.”

On the other side, Barb Phillips, a Marysville resident, said she is voting no because it’s a property tax levy. Phillips said seniors and others on fixed incomes can’t afford more in taxes; she believes an income tax levy would make more sense for Marysville.  

“In January coming up, it’s our three-year re-eval and we’re worried about our taxes already going up and then with the levy, and two levies passed last year, so it’s causing a lot of costs on the property tax side of things,” Phillips said.  

To find out how much the levy would cost homeowners and how the money would be used, visit the district’s website.