thewoosterblade WCS May 2 levy fails to pass, as district looks forward

RHYS FLORENCE-SMITH staff writer

On May 2, the 6.7 million WCS bond levy failed to pass, having failed by over 1,000 votes, according to the unofficial tallies released by the Wayne County Election Board.

The proposed levy planned to raise money for the Wooster City Schools’ Facility Master Plan, to build a new middle school and a new elementary school within the school district in accordance with the first phase of the Master Plan according to the Wooster City Schools website.

In looking at the failure of the levy, WCS Superintendent Gabe Tudor, said that the district will be evaluating their next steps.

“In the immediate future, there will be no significant impacts for the student population of Wooster City Schools. However, as our

Summer job opportunities:

In the beginning of the summer, many teens are looking for ways to earn money in order to pay for college and things that they want.

According to the YMCA website, a summer camp counselor is an excellent job for a teen looking to make some money, provided that they have a passion for working with children. The Y is looking for employees provided they have first aid and CPR certifications, and applicants can apply through Indeed which is a website that helps users find available jobs.

Another summer job opportunity is working as an ice cream server or cashier. According to SimplyHired, serving ice cream requires little to no experience or qualifications and is a relatively easy job to obtain. Some ice cream places that are hiring include: Guerne Heights Drive-In, Dari Land, Dairy Queen and Hartzlers.

According to Wooster Parks and Recreation, lifeguarding is also a summer job that students will enjoy. Lifeguards must be certified and know CPR, basic first aid skills, and be a good swimmer. The YMCA states that lifeguards are responsible for the safety of everyone in the water and supervising children.

Working in a restaurant is also an easy way for teens to make money during the summer. Some restaurants hiring include: Bob Evans, Applebees, Gioninos Pizza, Chipotle and Panera. Typically, the work in these jobs involves meeting customers, working the drive thru, using the cash register, and preparing food. Workers usually need to be at least 16 years of age.

According to Indeed, a website which helps users find available jobs, working in a movie theater or a clothing store can beneficial. Cinemark, Rue 21, or ALDI are jobs that can help teens earn money and learn valuable life skills that could help them later in life.

community grows, and our facility needs increase, it will be important for us to develop a master plan that addresses the needs of the school district and that our community will support,” Tudor said. Tudor also stressed the importance of increasing the community support of the school decisions, as well as the need to improve the school’s current facilities.

Tudor said the plans to reintroduce a bond levy in the future to raise money for the Master Plan are being evaluated, stating, “We will work to gather feedback from our stakeholders and revise our facilities plan to develop a proposal that is good for students and that the community will support.”

Specifically, the WCS administration hopes to re-engage with the community and find ways to support the community and gain community support, according to Tudor.

When asked what the future bond levy may look like, Tudor stated, “I can’t speak to what the specifics of another bond attempt will be, but I would anticipate we will be making some revisions to our plan and that we would not be on the ballot in the November election cycle.”

WCS Board of Education President Sue Herman states, when asked how the failed levy may affect the student body, “I do not anticipate any immediate change for our students. But, it is our responsibility not only to meet current needs, but to plan for the future. It would be irresponsible of us to ignore the changing needs in the world of education and to plan accordingly.”

Before a new levy would be proposed, the school board members hope to align their goals with the community, before they would propose a levy to be in everyone’s best interests according to Herman.

The recent bond levy hoped to put forward money toward the $102 million needed for the Facilities Master Plan.

Although a new levy will not come until after the November elections, the changes can hopefully benefit the community and school system.