Voters will expect officials to take state audit to heart

Voter rejection, not once but twice, of a 9.5-mill levy for the financially desperate Youngstown City School District suggests a deep distrust of the keepers of the public purse.

The $15 million operating fund deficit in 2007 was real. A special state commission overseeing the district’s finances said so. The anticipated $6 million to $8 million more in red ink this year is also real.

And yet, residents of the school district haven’t been willing to give the system the $5.2 million in new revenue the levy would generate. Why?

Because they are not convinced that the additional money will be spent responsibly.

This, despite the fact that the fiscal oversight commission, which was created in 2006 when the district was placed in fiscal emergency, has said the system cannot cut its way back to solvency.

Nonetheless, voters for the second time said no to the levy last November.

Now, however, the administration and members of the school board have been given an opportunity to make the case for the tax increase, which will again appear on the ballot in the March 4 primary.

Improving efficiency

Last week, Ohio Auditor Mary Taylor released the findings of a performance audit of the Youngstown school system, saying the recommendations “could help school officials improve the efficiency of district operations.”

The audit calls for slashing $17 million in spending, primarily through the elimination of 376 jobs.

The initial reaction from Superintendent Wendy Webb is that adopting all the cuts recommended by the state auditor would destroy the district’s academic programs.

In the coming weeks, Webb, members of the administration and school board must provide evidence to support that claim. Otherwise, voters will be left with the impression that the superintendent is being intransigent.

While it is true that the operating budget was reduced by $19 million over the past two years and another $4 million is expected to be cut next fiscal year, taxpayers obviously believe that more can be done.

They now have the state performance audit confirming that belief.

Overarching question

When Webb contends that even if all the recommendations were implemented the district would still need additional revenue through a tax levy, she must be prepared to answer this overarching question: Is there light at the end of this dark financial tunnel?

While no one expects the school district to adopt wholesale the recommendations of state Auditor Taylor, there is an expectation on the part of the public that some basic ones will be given serious consideration.

For instance, it is recommended that all employees be required to pay 10 percent of their health care premium costs. It would save the district $1.5 million.

Given what is happening in the private sector, that is not an unreasonable.

There are just a few weeks left before the primary election and the Youngstown City School District faces a monumental challenge with regard to the levy. The nation is on the verge of an economic recession and taxpayers aren’t in a giving mood — especially to the public sector.