Mentor Schools Go Back to Voters with Smaller 3.5-Mill Levy After Two Defeats

After rejecting two school operating levies in less than a year, Mentor voters will return to the ballot Nov. 3 to decide whether a smaller five-year, 3.5-mill request can spare the district another round of cuts. It is the district's third levy attempt since November 2025, following voter rejection of operating levies in November 2025 and May 2026.

For a home valued at $100,000, the levy would cost about $123 a year, or roughly $10.25 a month. It is projected to bring in $9.6 million a year for Mentor Public Schools' operating budget beginning in 2027. The Mentor School Board voted 4-1 to put the measure before voters, with board member Rose Ioppolo casting the lone no vote.

Voters rejected an operating levy in November 2025. They rejected a second—a 4.9-mill operating levy designed to generate approximately $13.5 million annually—in the May 2026 primary, with 53.98% voting against and 46.02% in favor, a margin of defeat of 7.96 percentage points. Local officials described it as a very decisive defeat and a somber outcome, with residents expressing concern about the size of the tax increase.

The November levy asks for 3.5 mills, generating $9.6 million annually, compared with the May proposal of 4.9 mills, generating $13.5 million—a reduction in millage but also a $3.9 million annual gap in what the district said it needed.

Following the May failure, Mentor Schools implemented $6.6 million in budget reductions for the 2026-2027 school year. Superintendent Craig Heath informed families that the district will raise preschool tuition, increase pay-to-participate fees for athletics, marching band, and Science Olympiad, introduce a new paper consumable fee, and end district funding for elementary field trips unless fully covered by outside sources. The fee changes contribute about $248,000 toward the $6.6 million in cuts.

District leaders warn that a third levy defeat could trigger $14.4 million in additional cuts on top of the $6.6 million already imposed, for a cumulative two-year reduction of $21 million, affecting staffing levels, class sizes, student services, and academic programs. The district has not provided a detailed breakdown of which specific positions, services, or programs would be eliminated to reach that target.

Mentor's struggles mirror a statewide pattern: Only 24 of 66 school levies statewide passed in Ohio's May 2026 election, a 36% success rate sharply lower than in 2024 and 2025.

The November 3, 2026, ballot will test whether a smaller ask can break the impasse or whether Mentor voters and Mentor Schools remain on a collision course with no clear resolution in sight.