Cincinnati Public Schools families can question district leaders about a proposed property tax levy at a town hall Tuesday, Oct. 13. The session runs from 6 to 7 p.m. at Dater Montessori School, 2840 Boudinot Ave.

Superintendent Shauna Murphy and Treasurer Mike Gustin will answer questions about Issue 4, a five-year, 7-mill operating levy on the Nov. 3 ballot. If approved, the levy would generate approximately $66.3 million per year, according to the CPS levy page. Collections would begin in January 2027.

CPS estimates the levy would add $245 annually for each $100,000 of a home’s market value. For a home valued at $285,000, that would mean approximately $698 in additional annual property taxes.

The town hall will be livestreamed on the district's Facebook page for families who cannot attend in person. A second session closer to east-side neighborhoods is set for Tuesday, Oct. 20, from 6 to 7 p.m. at Walnut Hills High School, 3250 Victory Parkway.

Why the district says it needs the money

CPS is under fiscal caution from the Ohio Department of Education and Workforce, a designation triggered by a projected $44.5 million deficit by 2029, WCPO reported. The district must submit a financial recovery plan to the state by Nov. 30.

If voters reject the levy, CPS says it faces an additional $20 million in cuts beyond the existing deficit. Without new revenue, the district says it may have to close or consolidate schools, increase class sizes, cut counselors and social workers, and eliminate Montessori programs.

At a Sept. 28 board meeting, Murphy said the cuts have moved past supplies and textbooks to people, as reported by Local 12. The district went 10 years without asking voters for new operating funding and closed a projected $58 million budget gap this spring through staffing reductions, furlough days and one-time resources.

Gustin said in an Oct. 2 Fox 19 report that a failed levy could eventually mean state control of the district. "When you get into state control, the state appoints a commission and the commission makes the decisions," he told Fox 19. "There's no elected control to it; there's no local decision."

How and where to vote

Early in-person voting runs through Sunday, Nov. 1, at the Hamilton County Board of Elections, 4700 Smith Road. Election Day polls open from 6:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 3.