The Board of Education has decided against placing an operating levy on the May 2009 ballot. Following the Board's discussion on November 5, 2008, Board President F. Drexel Feeling issued the following statement:

Consistent with the preliminary recommendation of the Finance and Audit Committee, the Board has concluded that the District will not seek an operating levy in May 2009 as planned.

There are two reasons for deferring the levy:

• The District’s financial position is better than expected, because of unanticipated one-time revenue and successful cost-containment measures.
• The state of the economy makes a levy particularly burdensome at this time.

Our hope is that we can defer a levy until 2010, but we must be open to the possibility of going on the ballot in November 2009 if the financial picture worsens significantly due to state cuts or other circumstances. With or without a levy, the District must and will continue to contain expenses without sacrificing the quality of the curriculum and instruction.

We deeply appreciate the community’s high level of support for the schools, and we pledge to continue to provide the children of Shaker Heights with a top-quality education while exercising fiscal responsibility.

The District has operated on a three-year levy cycle to keep up with inflation. The last operating levy was passed by the voters in 2006.

Site Map  |   November 12, 2008