(Letter to the Editor - Graphic Illustration/MetroCreativeConnection)

The community of Belpre has a population of about 6,500 people. The average household yearly income is about $45,000. Our school superintendent, Mr. Greenley, stated before the State Senate Primary and Secondary Education Committee that our school district is considered high poverty with an elementary school that fluctuates year to year with around 60% of students experiencing high poverty. This would indicate we are not a wealthy community. However, we spend well over $12 million a year to educate less than 1,000 kids. Most of our school staff enjoy top wages and excellent benefits for any community. Our school system spent over $300,000 with an out-of-town contractor for equipment replacement. They sought no bids, no estimates before spending our money. Could this work have been completed for less money? We will never know.

Our school buildings have fire code violations and health department violations that have carried over for years and go unrepaired. There have been many professional hires in the past two years in our school system. These are high paying positions for a high poverty community.

We are seeing higher city taxes, higher city user fees, higher water bills and higher state and federal taxes. Gasoline is going up. Groceries are going up. Inflation is near double digits. We look to the private workforce where money is tight and capital improvements are on hold because of an uncertain economy.

During a bad economy school levies do not go away. Our superintendent stated that Switzerland of Ohio school district was one of the five richest school districts in our state. Switzerland of Ohio school district is now experiencing professional employee cuts made by their new superintendent to help with balancing the budget. If we can’t educate 1,000 children with a budget the size of ours, a new building won’t help.

A high tax and excessive levy rate will not attract new people to our impoverished community. We are currently paying for two school levies. This new levy will make three active school levies.

I will not be supporting this new levy.

Frank Meredith IV

Belpre