Plans set for 8.5-mill levy
By Jane Beathard
Staff Writer
A special meeting of the London City Schools Board of Education early Monday sealed plans to put an 8.5-mill emergency property tax levy on the Nov. 8 ballot.
School board members met for about 15 minutes to approve a resolution of intent to proceed with the levy at the Madison County Board of Elections. Deadline for filing the necessary paperwork with the election board and the Ohio Secretary of State is Wednesday, Aug. 10.
If passed, the 8.5 mill levy will generate an estimated $2.5 million in additional revenue annually for the next five years. Board members agreed on July 18 to ask voters for sufficient money to carry the district that far.
For the owner of a $100,000 home, the tax increase will be $297.50 a year, according to an auditor’s estimate.
Also on Monday, school board members hired Megan A. Bible to teach middle school art. Bible is a 2010 graduate of The Ohio State University (OSU) with a bachelor’s degree. Her starting salary is $31,000.
The decision to fill the middle school art position vacated by the retirement of Peggy Tope ends a months-long discussion of whether or not the district can afford to provide art instruction for sixth, seventh and eighth-grade students when the new London Middle School opens in August.
• In other meeting business, board members accepted the resignations of high school secretary Linda DeFilippo and bus drivers Phil DeFilippo and Megan Dooley.
Superintendent Steve Allen said both drivers are leaving London for similar jobs at OSU. He was uncertain about Linda DeFilippo’s future plans.
Once again, here they come. Didn’t these FOOLS learn their leasson when a lesser levy was soundly defeated by a 3-1 margin? So what’s their answer, LETS ASK FOR MORE THIS TIME! Since reading a previous Madison Press article on this topic, I cannot get a certain quote out of my mind. During a recent BOE meeting, the Madison Press quoted BOE member Melissa Canney as asking fellow BOE members; “How much should we ask for?” I’ll tell you what Mrs. Canney, you could ask me for a single dollar and my vote is going to be NO! There’s only one way that this levy will ever get my support and that would be if every one of the current BOE members would resign.
I wouldnt vote for this levy if the school gave me the money to make the payment. They have there prioritys all screwed up. We cant bus the kids to the high school to get a education but we can pay a bus driver overtime and waste the fuel to bus the kids over an hour a way for some sporting event.
Go ahead and put up the levy, but make plans for when it fails.
Did the BOE read any of the comments from the last article?