A 6.9-mill operating levy will be voted on May 5 for Solon and Glenwillow residents. The levy, following the previous one in 2018, aims to raise funds for the Solon Schools District to pay for staff salaries, utility payments and instructional materials.

The levy, officially named Issue 4 on the ballot, comes mere months after Gov. Mike DeWine approved legislation that will greatly alter how Ohio’s property tax system works. Given that property taxes are the primary way school districts get their funding, school officials like Superintendent Fred Bolden had understandable concerns.

“The state’s saying property taxes are bad, but they’re also not saying [that they’re] going to backfill the money,” Bolden said. “The only way that we can fight inflation is by tightening our belts, but also by trying to come up with different forms of revenue.”

The district has been doing its best to stretch out funding through cost-saving measures, Bolden said. Despite ranking 110th out of Ohio’s 607 school districts for operating costs, Solon is second to last in terms of state and federal government funding.

“Most of our money comes from the community,” Bolden said. “We don’t ask for it unless we need it.”

To educate and promote the levy, several Solon residents have joined the volunteer organization The Committee for Solon Schools. According to committee member and Solon parent Stephanie Contipelli, the committee engages the community in multiple ways, such as through postcards, brochures, social media posts and information sessions.

“We are committed to reaching everyone with information,” Contipelli said. “Levy campaigns take thousands of volunteer hours, and there are ways for everyone to get involved.”

Contipelli, along with fellow committee member and Solon parent Erin Wolfe, said that their work with the organization is motivated by their love for Solon Schools.

“[My family and I] had just relocated to Solon in the spring of 2017,” Wolfe said. “We, like most other people, chose Solon for the schools first and foremost.”

According to Bolden, a lot of Solon Schools’ said attractiveness to newcomers like Wolfe is its wealth of opportunities.

“Music in Motion…Science Olympiad…Speech and Debate, all of those things that make our district really cool, are the reasons why people like to bring their families here,” Bolden said.

Despite spending less per pupil than the majority of surrounding school districts, Solon Schools frequently ranks as the top academic district in the state. Bolden said that levies like this one are created in order to maintain that very standard of excellence.

“To keep what we have—a strong school district that provides lots of opportunities for kids, no matter who they are or what they need—we need to be able to fund it,” Bolden said.

Still, regardless of rankings, the Committee for Solon Schools said that residents deserve to know exactly what they are paying for if the levy is to pass. For every $100,000 in property value, the owner will have to pay around $242 which comes out to $20 a month. Leanne Moses, a former member of the Solon Board of Education and current member of the committee, said that transparency and clear communication are key to garnering support–a sentiment that seems to have contributed to the levy’s popularity.

“As we begin to share the campaign for Issue 4 in the community, I have overwhelmingly received support and expressions of a common desire to maintain the excellence of our schools,” Moses said. “This levy will add needed operational dollars to the district and will be kept closest to student learning.”

Despite Solon historically passing levies like this May’s, Bolden said that Solon’s support of its school system is something he never takes for granted.

“We’re hopeful, you know, but I wouldn’t say I know it’s going to pass,” Bolden said. “In early May after the polls close, then I’ll be able to tell you one way or another.”

In the meantime, the members of the Committee for Solon Schools have made it clear what their mission is.

“This operating levy allows the schools to continue their mission of empowering every student to be the best they can be,” the Committee said.