Community for Cavs

What is on the ballot?

Chillicothe City Schools has placed a 5 year property tax emergency operating levy on the ballot to continue to fund vital services for our students and community.

This levy will provide $2.74 million to the district in each year of the levy.

What will these funds support?

The money will be spent in the classroom on students and maintain supports for educators, para-professionals, and support staff who provide services and programming. Funds go to the following:

• • Maintain quality academic programs that prepare our students for college, careers, and life.

  • Retain and attract dedicated staff who make a difference in the lives of our children every day and help support them on their journey to graduation.

  • Protect class sizes and support services that ensure students receive the attention they need to access and make progress in the curriculum.

  • Sustain extracurricular and athletic opportunities that enrich the student experience and build community pride.

  • Provide the necessary support services to meet the unique needs of our students who require specialized behavioral and mental health support.

  • Maintain a safe school campus with adequate resource officers and the most current school safety features to prevent a catastrophic event.

  • Maintain the necessary intensive academic support for our students who exhibit academic deficits that lead to poor performance in school.

These funds will not be used for building or infrastructure costs. Click here to read the letter from the district superintendent on how funds will be used.

What will it cost?

The cost to a homeowner in Chillicothe will be an additional $14.92 a month per $100k of appraised value by the Ross County Auditor (not market or Zillow). The chart below can help answer the question for your particular situation.

Why does the school need to pass a levy?

Since 2019, local, state and federal funds have not kept pace with inflation or the rising cost of providing a high-quality education. Federal relief from the pandemic provided a temporary buffer to local taxpayers, but those funds expired in 2024. Even greater burdens have been placed on the school when state legislators failed to fully fund the fair school funding formula this past summer.

With revenue falling behind rising costs, the district's 5-year forecast shows clearly the need for additional funds to maintain its current level of student supports, offerings, and safety measures. This levy simply restores the district to the same operating levy approved by voters in 2013, ensuring Chillicothe students continue to receive the unique and individualized programs upon which they rely.

When was the last levy passed?

The last levy for operating expenses was passed in 2013 and expired in 2018. Shortly after the expiration of that levy, unprecedented funding was released for K12 education by the federal government to meet the needs of the pandemic. As such, the school district has not needed to return to the community for funding until now.

In 2015 the district passed a Building Bond Levy, which allowed them to build two new, state-of-the-art elementary schools, housing Kindergarten - 2nd Grade at Chillicothe Primary School, and 3rd - 6th Grade at Chillicothe Intermediate School. The 2015 building levy funds cannot be used for operating expenses.

What steps has the district already taken to reduce expenditures?

CCSD regularly evaluates how to operate more efficiently and effectively. In 2024/2025, the district achieved a $2.5 million in permanent reductions through the attrition of both certified and classified personnel, as well as cuts in administrative personnel, contract services, classroom suppplies, materials, alternative vertual learning, and vendor contracts.

The reductions made were aimed at reducing the deficit spending that is cited in the 5-year forecast. The district was fortunate to have received federal and state monetary support during the pandemic to meet the needs of students who experienced learning loss and social-emotional challenges. The termination of those funds at the end of 2024 fiscal year resulted in a significant reduction in support provided to students experencing learning loss and social-emotional deficits.

What will happen if the levy does not pass?

From the superintendent:

The district is committed to ensuring that our students are afforded as many opportunities as possible, and we will continue to evaluate all purchase requests, staffing decisions, and purchase service contracts.  We were fortunate enough to increase staffing to support our students during the pandemic; however, this level of staffing, though needed, will continue to be reduced.  If the levy fails, the district will reduce the number of paraprofessionals, contract support services, administration, literacy coaches, classroom teachers, and security personnel.  

Reducing personnel in these areas will result in increased classroom sizes, reduced course offerings, and fewer learning opportunities offered through our STEM curriculum. The district will need to evaluate its athletic program to determine which sports will be prioritized, and the same will apply to our music and theater program. The board of education will assess the community’s response to the November levy results to determine if we will go back out to the voters in May.