Cuyahoga Falls schools propose $6.1 million operating levy for November vote

Cuyahoga Falls City Schools is proposing a five-year, 5.5-mill operating levy for voters to consider in the November 3, 2026, general election.

Signal Akron reported that the proposed levy would generate about $6.1 million and cost the owner of a home with $100,000 in assessed value an estimated $193 per year. The district says the money would support salaries, operating expenses and building maintenance.

Proposal follows June board meetings

The Cuyahoga Falls City School District’s official 2026 meeting calendar lists a June 24 work session and a June 30 regular Board of Education meeting. The calendar confirms the meetings but does not include the resolution or minutes needed to independently verify the final levy action or ballot language.

Signal Akron reported that the board discussed placing the new operating levy before voters. Board President Anthony Gomez said during the June 30 meeting that he wanted voters to decide whether to approve the additional operating support. The district’s statement of facts describing possible consequences if the levy fails was still being developed, according to the report.

The proposed measure is separate from previously approved school levy renewals and from the Cuyahoga Falls Library levy approved earlier in 2026.

Forecast shows projected financial pressure

The district’s FY2026 five-year forecast shows increasing financial pressure later in the projection period, even though it includes modeled renewal-levy revenue.

Under the forecast’s assumptions, the district projects a revenue shortfall of $4,204,175 in fiscal year 2030. It also projects a negative ending balance of $6,911,988 in FY2030.

The district says the forecast is based on historical trends and current information, and that projections may change. Its listed factors include state budgets, new or renewed tax levies, salary adjustments and enrollment changes.

The forecast says the district is projected to face a revenue shortfall beginning in FY2029 as expenditures grow faster than revenues. To balance the FY2030 budget under the projection, the district says revenues would need to increase by 4.76% or expenditures would need to be reduced by $4,204,175.

Ballot certification remains unconfirmed

The Summit County Board of Elections’ ballot-display page reviewed August 4, 2026, did not display certified November 3, 2026, ballot language for the proposed Cuyahoga Falls school levy. The page required users to select an election date and reported that its election data was last updated March 17, 2026.

That means the levy should be described as proposed, not as a confirmed ballot measure, until the district’s formal resolution and the county’s final ballot records are available.

What voters should watch

The key questions for Cuyahoga Falls voters are whether the levy receives formal ballot certification, what language appears on the ballot and what the district says would change if the measure fails.

The estimated $6.1 million in revenue, the estimated $193 annual cost and the FY2030 deficit figures are not final outcomes. They are estimates or forecast figures that could change before the November election and during the levy’s proposed five-year term.

Sources

• Signal Akron report on the proposed levy
• Cuyahoga Falls City School District FY2026 Five-Year Forecast
• Summit County Board of Elections ballot display