Frequently Asked Questions about the Medina City Schools   

5.9 mill Emergency Levy (this is a continuation of questions from the                    October 1 e-newsletter)

What has the school district done to contain costs?

• Cut over $9.5 million from its budget last school year
• Implemented reductions resulting in the elimination of nearly 100 teaching positions; 50 support staff and administrative positions
• Received more than $1 million in wage and benefit concessions from the teachers' union
• Increased the monthly health care premium contribution for an employee on a family plan from $80 last year to $215 this year; this represents a $1,620/year increase in contribution for employees on a family plan
• Reduced busing to state minimums
• Received voluntary base pay freezes from administrators, who also voluntarily agreed to increase their health care cost contributions to 15%
• Increased operational efficiencies, resulting in increased productivity
• Implemented HB 264 initiatives, which is projected to save the district thousands of dollars in energy costs over the next few years

What will the emergency levy cost me?

• For the owner of a $200,000 home it will cost an additional $30/month or less than $1.00 per day

What will this levy generate annually for the school district?

• $7,000,000 annually

What will the district's financial situation be if the levy fails?

• In 2012, the district will have a deficit of $3.9 million; in 2013 the district will be facing a deficit of $16 million

Why did the school district build two new elementary schools with this budget shortfall looming?

• These buildings were not built with operating tax funds - they were built with revenues from the sales tax
• Legally, sales tax dollars can only be used for capital improvements (bricks & mortar) not operating costs.
• The district's elementary schools were extremely overcrowded; one had nearly 800 students, two had over 700 students.  The national average is 470 students per school.  With the new buldings and redistricting, Medina now has an average of 508 students per school, still above the national average
• Northrop and Waite elementary schools were built as cost-effectively as possible coming in $2 million under budget
• A proven design was selected, eliminating costly design fees - building both schools at the same time saved construction costs