MADISON TOWNSHIP — Superintendent Rob Peterson said Madison Local Schools, and the community it serves, is at a crossroads.
“We have a choice as a community,” Peterson said. “Maintain the funding and opportunities for our students that we have currently, or continue to make cuts, further eroding the instructional program and reducing those educational opportunities for our children.”
District residents will see a levy renewal on their ballots next month.
If passed, it will combine and renew two existing levies for a total of five years. It would not increase taxes or the amount of revenue the district receives.
The two levies, with a combined total of 14.4 mills, cost taxpayers $504 a year for every $100,000 of county auditor’s appraised value (as listed on the Richland County Auditor’s site).
Levy renewal would continue generating $4.78 million in annual operating funds
The school board voted in June to combine the two levies into one for future renewals.
The ballot measure merges a 6.9 mill levy and a 7.5 mill levy, which are set to expire in 2027 and 2028, respectively.
Both are “dollar levies,” meaning they collect a set dollar amount each year, with collection rates adjusted accordingly.
Together, the levies generate $4,781,270 per year, according to Peterson.
If the levies are renewed, the district will continue to use those funds for everyday operational expenses, like employee salary and benefits, educational and extracurricular programs, school transportation and busing, utilities, buildings and grounds maintenance, technology resources and supplies, Peterson said.
The 6.9 mill levy was first approved by voters in 1992 and was most recently renewed in 2022. The other is newer; it was approved by voters in 2023.
What will happen if the renewal is voted down?
If the combined levy fails, the district will need to implement $1.3 million in cuts next year to stay afloat, Peterson said.
“The consequences of a renewal levy failing will be devastating for our students, their families, for the staff and for the district,” Peterson said.
Peterson said those cuts, at minimum, would include:
- Eliminating 16.5 positions, including administrative, teaching and non-teaching jobs.
- Increased class sizes in all buildings.
- Reducing course options and schedule flexibility at the middle and high school.
- Eliminating a career-technical program (the district did not specify which program would be cut).
- Implementing a $25 pay-to-participate fee for middle school clubs.
- Eliminating all middle and high school clubs that don’t meet participation thresholds.
- Implementing student usage charge and fee increases for technology, paper and other consumable items.
- Charging the Madison Early Childhood Learning Center a $25,000 administrative fee to offset costs currently absorbed by the district – which would likely result in tuition increases.
- Charging an administrative fee of $25,000 to the Madison Adult Career Center to offset costs currently absorbed by the district – which would likely result in tuition increases.
The district has already made several rounds of cuts in recent years.
Last year, the school board approved $3.1 million in cuts which included eliminating 37.5 positions, closing Mifflin Elementary School and implementing pay-to-participate fees.
“As a district, we have continued to try to do more with less,” Peterson said. “We have cut 79 employment positions over the last six years, yet we were still able to receive a 4-star rating (exceeding the state standard) on our 2025-26 state report card.”
Peterson said the district will need to make cuts at the end of the school year, regardless of whether the combined levy is renewed. But if voters approve the renewal, the cuts will be much less drastic.
“We will still need to cut no less than $300,000 from our 2027-28 budget even if the levy passes,” Peterson said.
