The Youngstown Board of Education met on Friday morning and voted to withdraw its request for a four-year levy renewal on the March 6 primary ballot.
The 6.1-mill levy actually would have lowered the cost to taxpayers because of lower property valuations in Mahoning County. It would have brought in $3.5 million annually.
The Board of Education made the move citing an uncertain financial future. A drop in enrollment this year means the district will lose $4 million in state funding annually.
"We learned this week that our state funding would be negatively adjusted based on a decline in our enrollment. The district will lose approximately $4 million annually in funding," said Superintendent Dr. Connie Hathorn. "This is devastating news for the district and it will significantly alter our five-year forecast."
The state funding was adjusted in the February payment based on the October enrollment count.
The district will now revisit its five-year financial forecast and determine the best course of action.
"Based on the current uncertainty of our financial picture, I recommended to the Board that we take the necessary time to thoroughly analyze and revise our budget forecast based on the new funding numbers. It is imperative that our community have all the facts about our financial outlook before we ask for their support," Hathorn said.
The Board of Education sent a formal request to the Mahoning County Board of Elections to withdraw the issue from the March 6 ballot.
