From the Little Miami School District web site:
The Little Miami Local Schools Board of Education voted July 21 to place a levy renewal request on the November ballot.
The Board will ask voters to renew the issue that passed in November 2011 and that will expire next year. The new request will be for a 13.86-mill, five-year emergency operating levy, which would generate $10.6 million 
in operating dollars annually.
Little Miami Treasurer Terry Gonda said that while he knew levy requests were never welcome, he was pleased the district was not asking for new monies.
“With the 2011 issue getting ready to expire, the Board took a hard look at the most responsible way to move forward,” he said. “In seeking this renewal, the district will be able to continue to rebuild after fiscal emergency, without needing to ask our community to support a tax increase.” Gonda said that while the millage of this request is slightly lower, the amount it generates is the same as the 2011 levy, qualifying it as a renewal.
After eight previous ballot requests, voters approved a 13.95-mill, five-year property tax levy in November 2011. Prior to that, Little Miami had been proclaimed by the state to be in fiscal emergency in July 2010 and had been required to seek $11 million in state solvency assistance loans to continue to operate. Following the 2011 approval, the district was able to begin restoring services after two buildings had been closed and significant cuts had occurred in staff and services. The district also began repaying the loans within the required two-year time frame.
“We have operated very leanly while meeting our financial obligations to the state and to our community,” Gonda said. “This renewal will allow us to continue these operations while preparing for our largest enrollment ever this fall.”
Board President Randy Haas said board members are cognizant of their responsibility to the community, and this prompted long discussions about this levy request. The board also sought the input of the independent Business Advisory Council, which recommended this renewal request.
“As a Board, we are committed to being good stewards of taxpayer dollars,” Haas said. “Since the 2011 levy and even after the state commission left, we have scrutinized each financial decision closely. We feel that this renewal request is a fair deal for the district and for our community.”
