The big picture: Voters rejected almost every new operating levy proposed on last week's ballots.
And they're increasingly reluctant to renew operating levies — existing funding that has historically been an easier sell at the ballot box.
Why it matters: Local districts say the denials will force them to take undesirable steps to balance their budgets, such as increasing class sizes.
By the numbers: Only three of 16 new operating levies on the ballots across Ohio this year passed, per statistics tracked by public policy researcher Howard Fleeter of Fleeter & Associates.
That's a 19% passage rate, down from 25% last year. Historically, 37% of new operating levies passed over the past 30 years, per Fleeter.
Renewals of existing operating levies also struggled to pass — Fleeter said just 65% of renewal levies passed last week, down from 79% last year and an average of 85% over the past 30 years.
Zoom in: All seven school funding levies on ballots last week in central Ohio failed.
According to unofficial results from county boards of elections, opposition ranged from a high of around 75% for the Teays Valley Local levy to 55% for the Fairbanks Local levy.
Between the lines: School officials are blaming, in part, a historic increase in property assessments last year.
For voters in rural counties, that can lead to a comparatively steeper spike in property tax bills because local school districts are already at the 20-mill minimum school assessment required by the state.
What they're saying: Fleeter also suspects a longer-running trend of "levy fatigue" motivated voters' decisions.
"Districts in most places have to go on the ballot every three to five years just to keep pace with inflation," he said. "But levy after levy creates fatigue and a feeling among voters that, didn't we just vote on this?"
What we're watching: Local school districts say they're still processing last week's defeats.
Olentangy Local Schools in Delaware County, which saw 63% of voters oppose its levy proposal last week, had told voters it needed new operating and facility funding because it anticipates adding 5,000 new students over the next 10 years.
"There are many questions on how this decision impacts current attendance boundaries, the construction and opening of new schools, and the timing of a future levy and bond ask," the district said in a statement.
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