FAQs
What is on the ballot?
The Shaker Heights City School District is asking voters to approve a 9.9 mill operating levy.
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What will the operating levy fund?
The levy on the ballot will fund the day-to-day activities of the school district that make our children’s education possible: staff salaries and benefits, materials, technology, and enrichment activities like field trips. It will also allow the district to continue the unique programs that make Shaker Shaker - such as being among only seven districts nationally that offer a full Pre-K-12 International Baccalaureate curriculum, performing and visual arts, and an ongoing commitment to equity and inclusion. The levy will help the district maintain its low teacher-to-student ratios to keep class sizes manageable.
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Didn’t the district just pass a levy two years ago?
The district passed a bond levy in 2023 to fund the long-term facilities master plan, which includes renovating all elementary schools and reimagining Woodbury for grade 6 through 8. The community voted to issue $121 million in bonds, securing $47 million in state matching funds. In addition, a 3.0 mill operating levy was passed to expand the district’s Pre-K program at Ludlow School, making high-quality Pre-K accessible for all of Shaker’s 3- and 4-year-olds – providing a solid foundation before entering kindergarten. Ludlow Early Learning Center opens in Fall 2025. The levy on the ballot this fall is the first full operating levy Shaker Heights Schools has put on the ballot since 2014.
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How much will the levy cost me personally?
The district is asking voters to approve a 9.9 mill operating levy. A homeowner will pay $29 a month – per $100,000 of property value as appraised by the Cuyahoga County Auditor. ( By Ohio law, only 35% of a property’s market value is taxable. Look up the value of your home here.) If you rent, your landlord is responsible for determining how to handle the tax increase.
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My property taxes increased after the county reappraised my home in 2024. Didn’t the school get more money from that?
State law HB 920 – enacted in 1976 – prevents the school district’s property tax revenue from keeping pace with inflation. While the typical Shaker Heights home increased in value by 36% in the 2024 countywide reappraisal, the revenue the district gained from property taxes increased by only 1.2% a year between 2014 and 2024. Meanwhile, inflation increased by 3.8%. See a more detailed explanation of HB 920 here.
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Why do we need to pass an operating levy now?
School expenses increase with inflation, but HB 920 holds property tax revenue constant until voters pass a new operating levy. Therefore, operating levies are an essential and routine part of Ohio school finance. HB 920 became law in 1976. From then until the last levy in 2014 - 38 years - Shaker Schools passed 15 operating levies, about one every 2.5 years. Due to careful fiscal management and federal COVID relief funds, the district has gone more than a decade without asking voters for new operating money. On top of 10 years of flat property tax revenue, the state and federal government have reduced support for public education.
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How will the levy affect the district’s racial equity work?
The levy will play a critical role in advancing the district’s equity goals – racial, economic, ability-based, and beyond. Funds will help every student access high-quality educational opportunities. For example, the district can recruit and retain a diverse and culturally responsive staff, invest in equity-centered professional development, and sustain student- led initiatives like SGORR (Student Group on Race Relations) that foster inclusion and understanding. Levy funding helps the district live out its commitment to embedding equity in every aspect of its work and ensuring that every student feels seen, supported, and empowered to succeed.
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Is Shaker affected by state and federal cuts?
About 30 to 35% of Shaker’s budget comes from state and federal funds. Like all Ohio school districts, it is facing uncertainty due to policy changes in Columbus and Washington D.C. State lawmakers recently gutted the hard-won Fair School Funding Plan – meant to ensure the state pays its fair share for public education. State lawmakers have also proposed several bills that would handcuff school districts from raising local funds. The president proposed massive cuts to public education and issued an executive order to dismantle the Department of Education.
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​What will happen if we don’t pass the levy?
Passing the levy will help set the district on a more sustainable path for the future. If it doesn’t pass, the district will have to take additional measures to reduce costs, which could include layoffs, cutting course offerings, larger class sizes, and fewer extracurricular activities.
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What else is the district doing to save money?
The district’s Finance and Audit Committee recommended that the Board of Education put a levy on the ballot; they also recommended the district save $10 million over the next five years. The district has begun to make thoughtful reductions that will be as least disruptive as possible to students and staff. Strategies include identifying efficiencies in purchasing and using natural attrition to avoid layoffs through retirements, resignations, and unfilled vacancies.
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What progress has the district made on the projects funded by the bond levy in 2023?
With the passage of the bond levy, Issue 13, the district pledged to begin work on Woodbury as the site of the new middle school. In preparation, elementary schools are now K-5. The district secured all proper contracts for the project, and partial demolition of Woodbury began this year. Since nearly half of children entering kindergarten in Shaker have no pre-K experience, Issue 13 also contained a 3.0 mill operating levy to fund the Ludlow Early Learning Center, which will open this fall. This year, the National Network of Partnership Schools named Shaker a Universal PreKindergarten (UPK) Award Winner for the district’s efforts to expand access.
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Couldn’t you save costs by cutting admin positions?
In the last state budget, lawmakers included a new provision that prohibits school districts from spending more than 15% of their operating budgets on administrative costs. By one widely accepted measure that counts only central office staff and principals, Shaker Schools spends 8% of its budget on administrative costs compared to an average of 9.6% in Cuyahoga County. Another measure includes central office staff and all building admin staff. That measure calculates the district’s administrative costs at 13.4% down from 14.6% two years earlier. Either way, the district falls below the state threshold. The administration reviews any turnover in staff for opportunities to reduce spending.
How have the tax abatements approved by the district impacted the need for a levy?
Economic development is primarily driven by the City of Shaker Heights, but major tax abatement projects require school board approval. The board votes to approve an abatement agreement only when it will not have a negative effect on the district’s finances and projections show a positive future impact.
The Raye Building is an example of a project that received a property tax abatement through Tax Increment Financing (TIF). TIFs repurpose property tax revenue that would have gone to the taxing entities – in this case, the school district, the city, county, and library. In turn, the developer reinvests that money back into the project. Before the Raye was constructed, the property was a vacant lot, generating no revenue for the city or the school district.
Understanding that bringing high-density housing to the Van Aken District is a key part of the city’s development strategy – and one that will ultimately generate more tax revenue for the school district as well, the board voted to approve the TIF agreement. Under the Payment-in-Lieu-Of-Taxes (PILOT), the district negotiated with the Raye’s developers, Shaker Schools are receiving about 12% of the full property tax rate instead of the 70% the schools normally receive – about $375,000 a year – money the district would not have received otherwise. Similarly, with the Arcardia Development, the district is receiving 18% of the full property taxes – also about $375,000 a year.
Most surrounding communities offer TIFs to spur development, including Cleveland and Cleveland Heights, and it’s unlikely these projects would have been built without them. Now the district is collecting additional revenue and will collect even more in the future. Even if the district had been able to charge the full amount of property taxes for these projects, it still would not make up for the budget shortfall and negate the need for a levy.
Why do we need a levy when the district is holding a cash balance?
Businesses need working capital, and schools need it as well. Cash balances fluctuate because expenses occur every month, but revenue comes twice a year when the district receives property tax revenue from the county in March and September. Cash balances appear higher at the end of a fiscal year, but will deplete over the course of the year.
Currently, the district has a balance of about $50 million, or about 42% of annual operating expenses, but is running a $13 million operating deficit. Having a sufficient cash balance is considered a best financial practice. A low cash balance (below 25%) could hurt a district’s bond rating and increase the cost of borrowing money.
If this levy doesn’t pass, can’t the district just come back to voters with another proposal?
If this levy doesn’t pass, the board can and will have no choice but to come back to voters with another levy request in the next election. Even if the levy were to pass in May of 2026, the district loses $12.5 million in revenue forever because it would not collect any additional levy revenue in calendar year 2026 (Split between two fiscal years), further compromising its cash balance. With that lower balance, the board would have to come back to the community for another levy sooner - maybe even in 2027 and consider additional cost-cutting in the interim. Passing the current levy along with prudent cost cuts means we can likely delay the next levy until 2029 or even 2030.
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What is the issue number for the levy?
The Cuyahoga County Board of Elections will assign an issue number sometime in late August or early September.
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When can I vote?
The Voter Registration deadline is October 6. Early voting and vote-by-mail starts October
7. Election Day is Tuesday, November 4. More detailed information is available on the Cuyahoga County Board of Elections website.
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