The News Herald (Willoughby, OH)
Superintendent concerned about loss of tax dollars
Richmond Heights Schools Superintendent Renee Willis made a plea for a fair split between Richmond Town Square development taxes during her recent state of the district address.
More than 100 people gathered Feb. 6 in the Richmond Heights Elementary School gym to hear her concerns about the tax dollars that the city could lose with the redevelopment of the mall property.
As already publicized, DealPoint Merrill is
planning to invest about $200 million at the mall site. It has already purchased the former Sears building and the old Macy’s building and is now buying the rest of the mall.
The first phase of the project will begin this spring. Dealpoint has outlined a plan to construct six buildings containing around 375 apartment units.
Amenities will include an outdoor pool, park, and a parking garage as well.
After this, the second phase, if all goes as planned, would include an additional 416 apartment units and over 200,000 square feet of new retail and restaurants.
Rent is expected to range from $1,400 for a one-bedroom/one-bath unit to $1,800 apartments with two bedrooms and baths.
To aid in her presentation, Willis invited David Conley, the schools’ financial strategist and CEO of Rockmill Finance to speak. Conley praised the district and the city for approving a school tax increase in 2017, building a new school building and scoring the DealPoint Merrill project, which he called “exciting” for Richmond Heights.
Conley and Willis then spoke out against Ohio’s EdChoice Scholarship Program creating further problems for the district. Ohio classifies Richmond Heights as an EdChoice district, meaning students who live in the city can qualify for state money to attend private schools.
“If you were offered that money, what would you do?” Conley asked.
“You’d take the money. I would, too.”
Richmond Heights receives state funding — up to $6,020 for each high school student, and $4,650 for students in grades K-8 — to the school district would lose much of that money when a student uses EdChoice to attend a private school. Instead of $6,020, the state gives the district $1,635 per student.
Willis said it costs about $14,000 to educate each child, with about $8,000 of that coming from Richmond Heights taxpayers. When the state money is lost, she said, the city’s taxpayers are left to make up the difference and, in effect, subsidize EdChoice vouchers.
Willis said she has spoken with people with the office of Gov. Mike DeWine about some of these concerns, and that she was told the state would look into it.
Willis pleaded with Richmond Heights residents to contact their elected state officials to help adjust the state guidelines.