1. Levy history: The last time Dayton Public Schools asked residents to vote on a levy was November 2008, when a 4.9-mill levy was approved. Huber Heights and Trotwood are in the same boat, having passed no new school levies this decade. But several other large school districts in Montgomery County have passed two or even three levies since Dayton's last one. Lolli said a levy is unlikely in November, but DPS will likely pursue one in the near future.
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2. Contracts and raises: From August through April, DPS gradually reached new labor agreements with all of its unions, with raises of 3 percent for teachers and many others. Next week the school board will vote on proposed 3 percent raises for nonunion staff, retroactive to last summer.
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3. Financial status: DPS Treasurer Hiwot Abraha said Tuesday that the proposed pay raises will not put the district in financial jeopardy. She said the school district is in good financial condition, with fund balances in solid shape. That's partially because state funding has increased for DPS in recent years, offsetting the lack of local levies. Other moves have helped as well – the switch to a self-insurance plan has left DPS with $13 million available to move to the general fund, according to Abraha. But DPS is closing one school this fall and may close others in the future to save money and streamline services, citing lower enrollment.
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4. Lagging pay scale: Dayton's school board will also consider a new pay scale for administrators next week that would keep salary ceilings fairly steady, but would raise the salary floor for less experienced administrators. Even if that is approved, DPS principals will make less than principals in many surrounding districts. For example, Dayton's elementary school principals would max out at $98,872, while Kettering will have elementary principals making as much as $118,000 next year.
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5. Recruiting a key factor: "At some point in time, in order to sustain the district, we will have to go for a levy," Lolli said. "If we want to truly change the face of education in DPS, we have to be able to hire the best teachers, the best administrators, the best employees. We cannot do that if we don't have the ability to pay them the salaries that they're receiving elsewhere."
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