"Questions to answer" The Columbus Dispatch

Link: Questions to answer
The Columbus Dispatch
July 6, 2008

...District officials probably calculate that a large turnout for Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama will generate extra votes for school ballot issues, too.

But counteracting that are the tough circumstances facing Columbus residents and businesses. The state and national economies are stagnant. Major auto companies are closing plants in Ohio, foreclosure is pushing people out of their homes and higher energy and food prices are straining household budgets. State government is anticipating a $733 million shortfall in operating revenues. This isn't an ideal time to ask school-district voters to assume a much larger financial burden.

The first question school officials face is why a district that is significantly smaller than the one that successfully sought a 6.95-mill levy in 2004 now seeks a far larger tax increase...