Toledo Public Schools is asking voters to approve Issue 9 on the November 3 ballot, a new 6.9-mill property tax levy for current expenses that would last five years. The levy would cost homeowners $242 a year for every $100,000 of their property’s value, and district officials say it would generate an estimated $22 million a year. If approved, it would first be collected in 2027 and would need a majority yes vote to pass.

District leaders say the money would replace funds lost in the last biennial state budget and help offset rising costs, state funding cuts and inflation. It would also support the district’s transformation plan, including classroom programs and student services. Bowsher High School is becoming the Bowsher Arts and Science Academy, and Issue 9 would help fund that change and others across the district.

Superintendent Romules Durant has said the district’s goal is for every student to graduate with industry credentials, college credit, or both, with career-tech programs expanding into community and comprehensive high schools such as Scott, Waite and Bowsher. The aim is for all high school students to be aligned with a career or college pathway within three to five years. Durant has also said that if the levy fails, that goal becomes much more difficult and further budget cuts would be needed, after difficult budget decisions in the past year and in 2025 that the district says were kept as far from students as possible.

The district points to reduced state and federal funding and lower enrollment as the pressures behind the request. Voters across Lucas County will also weigh other local money questions on the same ballot, including the City of Toledo’s Issue 16 safety income tax.

Sources: 13abc and Toledo Free Press voter’s guide.