Westerville schools places income tax levy on ballot

WESTERVILLE, Ohio (WCMH) -- Westerville residents will see an earned income tax levy on their November ballots after the Westerville City School Board of Education voted unanimously to put it to the electorate.

The superintendent of Westerville City Schools said the decision to put the earned income tax levy on the ballot did not come lightly. It’s drawing mixed opinions from community members. 

Some residents attended Monday's meeting to show their support, saying the levy needs to pass in order to keep the district running. Others felt that if this levy were to pass, it would put an enormous burden on working class families. 

The 0.75% earned income tax levy will appear on the Nov. 4 ballot. 

“This would be a levy that would go directly to support our daily operations because we are a service industry,” Superintendent Angie Hamberg said. 

District leaders said levy funds would help maintain smaller class sizes and provide services for students with special needs. It would generate approximately $24.3 million annually. 

“So our teachers, all of the people who drive the buses, feed our kids, all the different roles in the district,” Hamberg said. 

Hamburg said this is limited to only earned income, like wages and salaries. It would not apply to retirement income or social security. Monday night’s vote comes after last year’s failed levy; since then, the district has made cuts heading into the 2025-26 school year. 

“So we cut $4.8 million immediately out of our budget and, you know, just a note there, that's all money that had been planned for activities and different types of learning experiences for our students,” Hamberg said. “We also reduced 33 positions. So that's a combination of administrators, teaching staff and support staff throughout the district.”

As for next steps, the board will file the resolution to make sure this levy makes it to the ballot. Then Hamberg said they’ll be spending the next few months educating voters on the ballot issue and why it’s important for the students. 

For more information on this levy, click here.