LUCAS — An operating levy is up for renewal in the Lucas Local School district on the May 6 primary election ballot.
Voters will decide whether or not to continue a five-year, six mill operating levy.
The levy generates $961,000 annually and costs property owners approximately $210 for each $100,000 of property value.
The levy was first approved by voters in May 2010, according to Lucas Supt. Brad Herman. School district residents renewed the levy in November 2014 and 2019.
Herman said if the levy is approved, funds will be used for general operating expenses like instructional costs, supplies, materials, salaries and benefits, utilities, purchased and services.
Lucas Local Schools had an enrollment of 386 students during the 2023-2024 school year. The district’s total revenue was close to $9.9 million, according to a five year forecast submitted to the Ohio Department of Education and Workforce.
Expenditures were just over $8 million that year, though the district treasurer projected costs would continue to rise over, reaching more than $9.3 million in 2026-2027.
Meanwhile, state legislators are currently working on Ohio’s biennium budget, which will determine how much state funding school districts receive for the next two years.