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The schools' 6.9-mill levy (Issue 2)

The Board of Education asked voters to approve an additional 6.9-mill tax levy for current expenses on the May 5, 2026 ballot. BoardDocs Council resolution News outlets reported that the levy passed. The Land Cleveland.com

Issue pages: RES 2026-16

What was decided

Jan. 22, 2026: the Board voted 5–0 to submit the 6.9-mill levy to voters, moved by Michael Callahan and seconded by Nora Katzenberger. BoardDocs

Feb. 2, 2026: the Board again voted to submit the levy, 4–0 (Betsy Shaughnessy, Lisa Dopman, Colleen Clark-Sutton, Nora Katzenberger), moved by Nora Katzenberger and seconded by Lisa Dopman. BoardDocs

March 16, 2026: City Council adopted Resolution 2026-16 endorsing Issue 2, with six members in favor and President Kepple abstaining. minutes p. 6 ▶ 0:05:43

What the documents say the reasons are

Council's resolution describes the levy as maintaining the district's existing standards of excellence in programming, teaching, technology and security. minutes p. 5

The resolution notes it had been six years since voters approved a school levy. resolution

The debate

At Council on March 16, Vice President Baker noted that more than 68% of voters approved school levies in 2013 and 2020, and acknowledged residents' concerns about the Board's decision to repurpose Lincoln. minutes p. 5

Councilmember Hamilton Steiner said the share of school funding from the State of Ohio has decreased, putting more of the burden on local taxpayers. minutes p. 5

Councilmember Bullock supported the levy and acknowledged the financial pressures residents face from rising costs. minutes p. 6

President Kepple said she would abstain because of a business relationship with the Lakewood Recreation Department through Lakewood City Schools. minutes p. 6

At public comment, two speakers opposed the levy, citing rising property taxes and affordability and asking why Council would back a property tax rather than an income tax; a third urged support. minutes p. 6

What residents can do

Read the Board's agendas and votes on BoardDocs. BoardDocs

Not in the public record we found

The BoardDocs records we pulled do not say why the Board voted twice, on Jan. 22 and Feb. 2, to submit the same levy question. BoardDocs BoardDocs

The Jan. 5, 2026 resolution declaring the levy necessary has no recorded vote in the BoardDocs data we pulled. BoardDocs

We have machine transcripts of these Board meetings but no voice identification, so this page does not quote Board members from video. how this is made

Every meeting where it came up

1. Mar 16, 2026. City Council: Endorses the schools' Issue 2 levy. Outcome: Adopted. minutes ▶ 0:05:43 Meeting recap →
2. Feb 2, 2026. School Board: Puts a 6.9-mill levy on the ballot. Outcome: Passed 4–0. BoardDocs Meeting recap →
3. Jan 22, 2026. School Board: Puts a 6.9-mill levy on the ballot. Outcome: Passed 5–0. BoardDocs Meeting recap →
4. Jan 5, 2026. School Board: Board agenda lists a resolution declaring it necessary to levy an additional 6.9-mill tax for current expenses. BoardDocs Meeting recap →

News coverage

• Ohio primary election results: Key state elections set; Lakewood Schools levy passes The Land, May 6
• Lakewood City Schools pass new money levy Cleveland.com, May 6
• Lakewood voters to decide school levy amid deficit concerns Cleveland.com, Apr 23
• Lakewood City Schools have levy on May 5 ballot: See how much it will cost residents if approved WKYC, Apr 22
• Lakewood City Schools says levy needed for financial stability Cleveland 19 News, Apr 15
• Lakewood leaders push for new school levy while residents have mixed reactions News 5 Cleveland WEWS, Mar 16

Every sentence links to its public source. Where the record is silent, this page says so. The meeting list is curated; new matching agenda items are flagged for review before they are added. How this is made