Mentor schools’ 4.5-star report card meets a looming consolidation and levy fight

Mentor Public Schools posted its fourth straight 4.5-star report card this month, strongest in graduation and gap-closing. The ratings land at the same moment the board is about to lock in a consolidation plan that will change which buildings families call home and ask voters to pass a November levy after a spring one failed.

The report card

The district earned five stars in Graduation and five in Gap Closing on Ohio's 2025-26 report card, while Achievement, Progress, and College, Career, Workforce and Military Readiness each earned four and Early Literacy earned three. "This year, Mentor Schools also earned 5 stars in both Graduation and Gap Closing, reflecting our commitment to helping every student receive the support, opportunities and preparation needed to succeed," the district said in a statement.

The underlying numbers are more uneven. The district's Performance Index was 86.7, its graduation rate 96.9%, and its chronic absenteeism rate 16.1% across 6,565 students. Among third graders, 78.4% scored proficient or better in English language arts; eighth graders were 68.6% proficient in ELA, 70.8% in math, and 70.5% in science.

"While no single measure tells the complete story of a school district, four consecutive years of 4.5-star ratings demonstrate sustained excellence across Mentor Schools," the district said.

That five-star graduation and gap-closing work is the same programming officials say is at risk if the November levy fails and up to $14.4 million in additional cuts follow.

The levy ask

The school board voted 4-1 to place a five-year, 3.5-mill operating levy on the November 2026 ballot, with board member Rose Ioppolo casting the lone dissenting vote after arguing for more spending reductions before asking voters for additional taxes. The levy is projected to raise about $9.6 million annually for the general operating budget, at a cost to a property owner of about $123 per year for every $100,000 of property valuation.

That is a reduced ask from the 4.9-mill operating levy voters rejected in May 2026, which failed by about 8 percentage points with roughly 54% voting no. The November request is about $3.9 million less per year than the May proposal.

After the May failure, the district implemented about $6.6 million in reductions for the 2026-27 school year, including staffing changes, administrative cuts, operational efficiencies and fee adjustments. Pay-to-participate fees for athletics and activities rose about 20%, preschool tuition increased, and a new classroom materials fee was added.

The district pays the employee share of administrators' retirement contributions as a fringe benefit — a practice that has become a flashpoint in the levy debate. Ioppolo has argued the benefit should be eliminated, saying it would save about $700,000 a year. "I'd like it to match the teachers' retirement benefits model," Ioppolo said of the administrator retirement pickup. "This is likely what led to the failure of the levy," Ioppolo said.

At the May 12, 2026 board meeting, Ioppolo moved to have legal counsel amend the administrative benefits package to remove the retirement employee-share pickup; the motion failed 4-1, with Ioppolo the lone supporter. For administrators in STRS Ohio, the employee retirement contribution rate is 14% and the employer rate is a separate 14%; the "28%" figure cited by critics combines the employee pickup with the district's separate required employer contribution, which the district would continue to pay even if the pickup were eliminated.

The consolidation clock

The board is expected to finalize its building reconfiguration and consolidation plan by the end of this month, and may hold additional special meetings to do so. The plan under consideration would reduce Mentor's seven elementary schools to four — closing three — move eighth graders to Mentor High School, and reconfigure Shore and Memorial middle schools to serve grades 4-7, targeted for the 2027-28 school year.

The board has not yet named which three elementary buildings would close; the district remains in the planning and community-feedback stage. Mentor Schools currently operates 12 school buildings, and the district is studying transportation, staffing, boundaries and transition issues as it gathers community input.

The consolidation is expected to save at least about $3.5 million annually, while the district has separately committed to cutting an additional $3.3 million going into the 2027-28 school year. Mentor's enrollment fell 11.5% over nine years, and a district forecast projects a further 12% drop as the district weighs operating fewer schools.

The reconfiguration is unfolding as the district's longtime chief financial officer departs. CFO Bill Wade is stepping down effective September 30, 2026, after accepting another professional position, ending an 11-year tenure with the district. The school board has formally accepted his resignation and is working to determine how to fill the role as the district weighs consolidation and a multimillion-dollar budget shortfall.

The consolidation plan and the levy are moving on separate, fast clocks: a board vote expected by month's end on which buildings close, and a November ballot question that will not be decided for weeks after that. The question facing Mentor families is not whether the schools are good on paper, but what they are being asked to pay to preserve — and who absorbs the cost if the consolidation and the levy don't line up in time.