SHAKER HEIGHTS, Ohio — This coming Election Day, Shaker Heights voters are deciding on Issue 13.
If passed, this bond issue would help fund the Shaker Heights schools' long-term facilities plan by making improvements to their Pre-K through eighth-grade buildings.
The plan would also expand the district's Pre-K program, all of which John Morris said is needed.
“We support it because we know that our Children deserve 21st-century learning environments,” said Shaker Heights Teacher Association President John Morris.
Morris is a teacher at Shaker Heights High School and the President of the Shaker Heights Teachers Association.
He told News 5 it can be difficult to teach students when they lack what he calls critical needs like air conditioning and advanced technology such as Chromebooks.
“They are beautiful buildings, for turn of the last century, for turn of the 20th century, but they're over 100 years old, and it's just time for critical improvements and upgrades,” Morris said.
But some voters like Helen Sheehan said they feel the district's plan to seek a 6.4-mill bond issue to raise more than $121 million, an additional 0.5-mill permanent improvement levy and a 3-mill operating levy is asking too much from voters.
That's why Sheehan is part of a campaign initiative to vote no on Issue 13.
“For me, it's concerning. We're just reaching retirement age, so we'll be on a fixed income, and the unintended consequences for that, for us are going to be significant for us. It'll equate to over $1000 a year extra, which would be an additional mortgage payment,” said Sheehan, who’s the Treasurer on the Steering Committee for Vote No on Issue 13.
Sheehan made it clear she's not against supporting the district.
She said she and others feel there needs to be more thought put into this process, like establishing a committee of Shaker Heights residents to look into the district's key issues and then group them into phases for repairs and restoration.
Sheehan said she believes this will also help cut down the costs.
“If there's a facilities committee that is looking at all of these things to break out and utilizing the finance and audit committee as well to break these out into more manageable pieces, it'll be better for the district, bond rates will be lower, so the interest rate won't be as high,” Sheehan said.
Sheehan told News 5 she hopes there will be an opportunity to work with the city if this doesn't pass, while Morris says he is prepared to pay more in taxes if it means a better quality of education.
