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Beavercreek schools ask for 6.2 mills

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BEAVERCREEK — The Beavercreek City School District has placed an additional emergency levy on the Tuesday, Nov. 6 ballot.

It is worth 6.2 mills for the next five years. It would generate approximately $11.4 million annually and cost $217 per year or $18.09 per month per estimated $100,000 home valuation.

If passed, the levy would go into effect beginning with the 2019-2020 school year.

“It’s solely to maintain our current level of services. We’re not adding anything new — just maintaining current programming,” Beavercreek City School District Superintendent Paul Otten said. “We believe in what we’re doing today, that we’re strong and have done well, so we want to maintain that level of service.”

While the levy would be a new tax to citizens, the district faces the possibility of cutting programs beginning in the 2019-2020 school year without passage. District officials have not talked in-depth regarding where exactly the cuts would be made, but Otten said considerations have been made concerning transportation, elective course offerings at the middle and high schools as well as fees to play and participate in athletics and clubs.

Otten highlighted that the the district’s biggest priority is maintaining a solid classroom environment.

“Eighty-two percent of our budget is people,” he said. “We would have to make significant reductions to reduce the amount of people and services … None of it is good and all of it hits kids one way or another.”

The Beavercreek City School District includes approximately 8,000 students who attend one of its 11 school facilities. There are six elementary schools, two middle schools, a freshman-only institute, a preschool center and one high school. Otten said Beavercreek schools are on the “cap funding model,” which means that while the City of Beavercreek and its local school district have expanded in recent years, the schools are not receiving additional funding.

“Our expenditures have outpaced our revenue because we have high-student needs,” he said. “More kids have come through and we’re spending more than what we’re bringing in … The levy is coming in right when we need it.”

The district has been hosting informational presentations called “Why do School District Keep Asking for More Money,” which Otten said have been well-attended. The district offers a 45-minute presentation that aims to answer that questions, then the floor is opened up for attendees to ask their own questions. Presentations are slated for 7 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 25 at Valley Elementary School, 3601 Jonathon Drive, Dayton, 45434; and 7 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 30 at Beavercreek High School, 2660 Dayton Xenia Road.

Local voters can also visit gocreek.org/levy/ for more information. They will also find on the website frequently asked questions and the option to submit their own questions.

“This levy is a turning point for our district,” Otten said. “If it fails, it will dramatically change the services we provide to the community … We will have to start having conversations about how to respond to the district’s growth. It’s the perfect storm. If voters fail the levy, the district faces a lot of reductions and changes.”

By Whitney Vickers

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Contact Whitney Vickers at 937-502-4532.