DAYTON — Unofficial results provide vital information for Dayton Public School leaders trying to get more funding for their budget.
News Center 7’s Amber Jenkins was in Dayton on Wednesday, where school leaders shared reactions to losing a lead in support for the levy.
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Dayton Public Schools asked voters to decide on an operational tax levy for the first time since 2008.
The proposed tax levy would have generated about $14.7 million a year for school programs, teacher growth opportunities, and overall budgeting.
As unofficial results rolled in, DPS Superintendent Dr. David Lawrence said this is insight into understanding what voters understood about this levy.
He said, “The voters have given us some feedback, not just with their vote, but some of the things that they said as they exited the voting booths in terms of what they want to see in Dayton Public Schools.”
The Dayton Chamber of Commerce released a statement opposing the levy, saying in part that property taxes are already too high.
News Center 7 reviewed the unofficial results and noticed that voters in the east did not support the levy. Precincts along Smithville Road had double the number of voters against the levy.
However, on the west side, those precincts reported more voters supporting the levy.
This information could help DPS rework the levy for the May ballot.
“What we learned from this journey was how to get a much clearer message and what we’re going to do with the ask,” Lawrence said.
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