School districts in Ohio are financed with a combination of federal, state, and local funds. At the state level, school districts receive funding from the Ohio Department of Education’s (ODE) general revenue funds and Ohio Lottery profits. At the local level, school districts receive funding from locally levied property taxes. School districts also can receive funding from income taxes approved by voters.

A property tax levy is the collection of taxes charged on the value of property. Each district must follow a process described in Ohio law in order for taxes to be levied on property within the district. Boards of education propose additional local tax revenues by board resolution. School districts can place a levy on the ballot up to three times a year on specified election dates. If a majority of voters in an election approve the tax, county officials charge and collect the tax under the terms specified in the tax levy proposal. The collected funds are then disbursed to the district. When a levy is placed on the ballot, it must identify as its objective a legally defined school district purpose.

The unit of value for expressing the rate of property taxes in Ohio is the “mill.” A mill is defined as one-tenth of a percent or one-tenth of a cent (0.1 cents) in cash terms. Millage is the factor applied to the assessed value of property to produce tax revenue.

A property tax used for any school district purpose but primarily for either operating expenses or permanent improvement funding. General levies used to provide operating funds are commonly known as operating levies, while those used for permanent improvements can be known as permanent improvement or PI levies. Boards of education propose levies as a specific dollar amount of new revenue. That proposal is reviewed by the county auditor, who determines the actual millage necessary to produce the dollar amount. The levy, once approved by voters, is subject to the tax reduction factor.

A property tax that serves as a limited operating levy (maximum of 10 years) proposed for a specific dollar amount. Because the dollar amount of taxes charged by the levy must stay constant, the millage rate increases or decreases as property values change. (Note: The millage of a general levy proposed for a specific dollar amount cannot be raised beyond the voted amount, while the millage of an emergency levy can.) Emergency levies may be renewed for the dollar amount originally requested.

A property tax levy used to provide a school district with local revenue for construction purposes. The county auditor determines the rate of a bond levy needed each year to service the principal and interest owed on the amount of bonded debt approved by voters when they approved the bond levy. Bond levies remain in place until the debt (principal and interest) is fully paid, typically 20 or more years.

Ohio law generally allows districts to ask voters to renew a limited levy when it expires. The levy must be for the same purpose and is renewed at the effective millage rate