A $100 million+ operation, funded mostly by local property tax

Running a district of Sycamore's size costs about $111 million a year — that's the district's entire annual operating budget, not what this levy raises (see what this levy is below for that number). The core job that money does is simple: give our kids the best education possible. And it comes almost entirely from us — local property taxpayers. Sycamore receives a relatively low share of state funding and very little federal funding compared with many Ohio districts, so local levies carry the load.

Where the money comes from

Local 85% (real-estate taxes 69%, tangible/utility 6%, other local 10%); state 15% (state foundation 10%, other state 5%). Only small federal grants on top. From the district's October 2025 five-year forecast (General Fund).

Where the money goes

Educating children is a people job. More than 82 cents of every dollar — salaries plus benefits — pays the teachers, aides, bus drivers, counselors, and staff who run the schools. That's why a budget gap can't be closed by trimming supplies; the money is overwhelmingly in people.

From the district's October 2025 five-year forecast (operating expenditures).

Why this amount, and why now

This isn't an "ask for the maximum" number — it's what the district's own five-year forecast says it needs. That forecast is a public document filed with the state twice a year, not a campaign projection. Without new revenue, the latest one (February 2026) shows the district's cash reserves falling below the board's own 25% policy floor by FY27 and going negative by FY30. The 6.95-mill levy is projected to provide roughly five years of renewed stability. Sycamore has also been disciplined about when it asks: this is the first operating levy since 2016 (the 2019 vote was a facilities bond, a separate thing entirely).

"But doesn't the district have money in the bank?"

It does — about $30,498,210 in reserve, and the ballot itself discloses it because Ohio law requires it. A $30 million balance sounds like a lot. Here's why it exists and why it isn't "extra."

Think of the reserve as the gas tank, not a slush fund. Because of Ohio's HB 920 (see Levy Details), an existing levy brings in roughly the same dollars every year while costs keep climbing — so every district runs the tank down between levies by design. Sycamore has stretched the 2016 levy for a decade by living off this cushion. The forecast above is the fuel gauge: it shows the tank dropping below the board's 25% warning line in FY27 and hitting empty — then negative — by FY30.

That 25% line isn't the real issue; it's just the warning light that tells the board to act before the tank is dry. What actually matters is what happens when the balance is spent down: Ohio districts are not allowed to run a negative balance, so the state would step in with oversight and forced cuts. The honest reason to vote now rather than later is to fill up while there's still road left — acting early avoids the far more painful, disruptive fixes that come from waiting until the tank is empty.

What the district has already done with your money

A fair question before any "yes": has the district been careful with the dollars it already has? The record says yes — and it's why the ask is only coming now.

• This is the first request for new operating money since 2016 — a full decade.
• After the 2016 levy, the district built reserves up to about 71% of spending by 2020, then deliberately drew that cushion down to make the money last.
• Three long-standing debts finish being paid off in 2026, cutting about $866,000 a year in payments starting in 2027.
• The district's own model projects this levy is sized to provide roughly another five years of renewed stability.
• A continuing levy avoids the repeated cost and 'levy fatigue' of re-running the same measure every few years.

Drawn from the district's official five-year forecasts and the Hamilton County Board of Elections levy history. See the full Five-Year Forecast →

The ask

On November 3, 2026, Sycamore Community Schools is asking voters for a 6.95-mill continuing levy — new money, no expiration, but no bond and no new debt. It splits into two parts on the same tax bill:

• 5.00 mills for current operating expenses — the day-to-day cost of running the schools (about $12,945,303/yr).
• 1.95 mills for permanent improvements — maintaining the buildings, buses, and technology the district already owns, not new construction (about $5,048,668/yr).

Together that's an estimated $17,993,971 a year in new revenue — on top of, not instead of, the district's existing $111M annual budget above. That works out to $243 per year per $100,000 of your home's market total value. On a $250,000 home, about $608 a year — use the calculator for your own home. If approved, it's first collected in calendar year 2027.

How long does it last?

It's a continuing levy — no expiration date. That does not make it a blank check: the rate is fixed at 6.95 mills and can only be changed by another public vote. A continuing levy just spares the district (and voters) the cost and fatigue of re-running the same levy every few years. Sycamore's last operating levy, in 2016, lasted a full decade before this ask.

A top-rated district at a below-average rate

Sycamore's residential school tax rate sits below the Hamilton County average. In the district's own 2026 comparison of Hamilton County and neighboring districts, Sycamore ranks the 5th lowest among 25 districts compared — lower than Cincinnati, Wyoming, Madeira, Kings, Mariemont, and most nearby districts. The effective operating millage Sycamore actually collects today is about 25.7 mills.

Want to see what this means for you, or the case for voting yes?