On a cool autumn evening, the Fairview Park High School marching band practices for the upcoming football game while members of its drill team mingle outside. Freshman Emily Halik says she loves her extra activities even though they keep her out late on school nights.
Emily Halik: Like, I am exhausted, but I love drill team and I love basketball.
Fairview Park's levy request of 5.9 mills would mean an extra $15 a month for residents of a $100,000 house. But those figures mean little to students like Halik, who considers after school activities invaluable.
Emily Halik: It really builds leadership skills and everything, and like, that you're going to need in life and that you're going to need in college.
If voters reject the levy on the ballot here, the district plans to eliminate Halik's drill team, the marching band - in fact, all non-core school activities, including sports, art and AP classes - next fall.
Emily Halik: It's going be really lame. Like there's going to be like nothing to look forward to. Just everything's going to be the same and there's not going to be any variety at all.
Inside Fairview Park's High School, Board of Education member Dennis Rehor is mingling with parents and citizens attempting to build support for the levy request. He says he's heard every reason there is to vote no. But in his mind, there's a bigger picture.
Dennis Rehor: It's in our best interests to make sure these children are educated properly because they're going take care of us when we get older. They're going to take care of this county and this state. And we need to make sure they're taught properly to the point that they excel. Because we want out state and out county to excel.
An emergency levy passed in Fairview Park in 2003. But by 2005, the district had to cut 29 teachers and $2.5 million from its budget to avoid a deficit. Without a new levy, the district's building improvements will be put on hold and only core academic courses will be offered.
Several Northeast Ohio districts, like North Olmstead, Akron, and Hudson City, predict similar program cuts. School officials in Bay Village and Springfield say they're looking at increasing class sizes, reducing bus services and charging students to play sports if their levies fail.
While levy supporters may make a compelling case, many find the decision to raise taxes difficult. People on fixed incomes say they can't afford the increase. Others say they've lost trust in the public school system, or that they simply oppose all new taxes. Ryan Gazoni, treasurer of Stow-Monroe Falls City Schools, says this increasing unpopularity of the property taxes is why his district is asking voters to approve something different.
Ryan Gazoni: An income tax on residents of the district that taxes only wages, tips and salaries or earned income.
Gazoni says the point 5 percent earned income tax takes the burden off of people on fixed incomes, by excluding things like pensions and social security. School levies based on income have been an option in Ohio for almost 20 years, but restricting it to earned income was authorized only just last year. Gazoni says an income tax links school revenue to inflation and puts more of the school funding responsibility on those who can most afford it.
Ryan Gazoni: I think that as people make more they are more able to contribute to society and contribute to things like school districts.
Circleville Ohio, just south of Columbus, was the only district out of seven to pass an earned income tax levy last year. Last May, voters in eight Ohio districts rejected similar proposals. This year, 18 districts are seeking it. If they're successful, more districts might try for the earned income levies in the future as a more palatable way to locally fund Ohio's Schools. Lisa Ann Pinkerton, 90.3.