33% OF STARK COUNTY SCHOOL DISTRICTS OHIO DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION GRADES: "F!"

UPDATED:  6:00 P.M.

Truly astonishing!!!

Look at the following graphic of data published by the Ohio Department of Education (ODE) yesterday on the Stark County segment of the entire 612 slate of Ohio school districts.

Of the 10 categories graded in a total of 170 rankings (two K-3 literacy grades missing) for Stark County schools, there were 55 (33%) "F" grades.

When one adds the "D" letter grades (26) to the "F" grades, the total rises to 80 and 48%, respectively.

Stark County school district taxpayers should be horrified with the published results.

Here is how The Stark County Political Report ranks Stark County school districts:

And here is a chart that shows how much Stark County taxpayers are paying in taxes to support the 17 school districts.

The Report used the Stark County auditor's "tax estimator" to calculate at the "highest" residential rate in that:

• homestead exemptions are not included, and
• the property is assumed to be non-owner occupied

NOTE:  NOT ALL THE REVENUES CITED ABOVE GO TO THE SCHOOLS

EXAMPLE:  THE NORTH CANTON RATE GOING TO THE SCHOOLS APPEARS TO BE IN THE ORDER OF 77%

SEE STARK COUNTY AUDITOR ALAN HAROLD CLARIFICATION BELOW

Each Stark County school district has several tax units and the rates vary.  The SCPR used the tax rate for the locale in which the district's schools are located. 

For example, a significant number of Lake Township families send their children to the North Canton City Schools.

Back in the 1950s when consolidation was in the air, Hartville and Uniontown residents teamed up to reject Greentown area students as being part of the new Lake Local School District.  Accordingly, the State of Ohio "education" powers at the time attached the Greentown area and southwestern Lake residents to the North Canton school system.

Auditor Alan Harold tells the SCRP that no matter where a student's family/taxpaying person/entity has residence/locale within the tax district, the rate for schools is the same.

Harold provides this example and clarification:

All taxpayers in the NCSD pay the same rate to the schools (40.563 mills) regardless of their location (city or township).  So, based on this rate (40.563 mills) on any $100,000 home in the NCSD, $1,419 goes to the schools ...  .

The variance comes from the other levies paid based on taxing district.  In North Canton City, total residential millage is 58.43 - so approx 18 mills goes to other sources - the total $1,841 you note.  In Lake Township - Uniontown PD, the residential rate is 66.90 - so approx 26.5 mills goes to other sources - total $2,112.  But again in both cases $1,419 goes to the schools, the rest goes elsewhere.

Harold provided this LINK for readers who want to check the underlying tax rates.

If one includes "owner occupied" for "core" NCCS constituency families, the "estimated" annual tax bill on $100,000 of property value is $1,789.48 rather than the "highest" which is $1,840.61

• (Note:  these figures are a reference to an estimated total property tax which is greater in varying degrees in taxing districts than tax revenues provided to the schools; see the Harold clarification above)

Canton City Schools and Perry Local Schools abut one another.

Canton is graded at "F" whereas Perry is graded at "A-."

There is a world of difference between and "A-" (Perry Local School District) and an "F" (Canton City Schools), no?

Despite getting a superior education as compared to the ODE's rating system across 10 criteria, Perry tax payers pay several hundred dollars a year less "on average" than "core" Canton taxpayers.

The blog is published to alert Stark Countians of two things:

• it appears that overall Stark County school districts are NOT doing an effective job in education our children, and
• it seems that paying more in taxes does not correlate very closely with academic results.

Interesting, no?