ElectionsWednesday, November 4
Elyria voters pass the school levy after two failed in 2025
The 5AM Lorain team
If you live in the Elyria City Schools district, your operating levy passed. Voters passed the school levy Tuesday, sparing the district cuts to all extracurriculars and advanced classes. It was tight early on: 3,832 votes for and 3,880 against, before any of the district's 32 precincts had reported.
- Cost: $312 a year per $100,000 of market value
- Raises: about $11.6 million a year, per the county auditor
- Length: no end date
- First bills: mailed early next year
The district hasn't passed a new operating levy since 2010, and two identical levies failed in 2025. On Election Day, News 5 Cleveland WEWS reported the money would go to operating expenses like staff, electricity and anything needed daily for student education. Superintendent Ann Schloss said the levy is the district's only way to collect new revenue.
“There is a problem, a legitimate problem with how they fund schools and we know that, at the end of the day, though, this is our only way to collect new revenue to help us, and until they change that, you know, we have to ask.”
Elyria's budget cuts came before the levy vote
- $8 million
- shortfall the district said it faced without new revenue
- $9 million
- in cuts under the plan approved in February
- 45
- teaching positions eliminated
- 12
- administrative positions eliminated
Source: Cleveland.com