TROY — On the May 4 ballot, Troy City Schools are seeking the renewal of a five-year, 5.8-mill levy. The levy is projected to generate $3.72 million per year for operating costs for the district. The levy was first passed in 1996.

Superintendent Chris Piper said, “This levy covers the costs of our daily operations, including, but not limited to, salaries, utilities, and transportation costs.”

Piper said the district has scaled back its budget, cutting expenses and not filling vacant positions from retired staff.

“We have dedicated ourselves to being good financial stewards for this district. Last year, we implemented pay freezes across the district. Additionally, we did not replace 15 staff members who retired. We also cut $600,000 in spending on materials,” Piper said, noting that if the renewal fails, the district “would obviously lose a significant amount of our operations budget and reductions would have to be made.”

In April 2020, the district failed to pass a bond issue for its neighborhood school plan and failed to pass an additional 0.25% earned income tax in November.

When asked if there were plans to present a new plan for the district’s new schools or seek additional funds, Piper said, “The need for new school buildings in the district has not changed. In addition to enriching our students’ educational experiences, new buildings would allow us to consolidate some of our resources and run our district more efficiently. New buildings remain a part of our plan and something we hope to bring back to the community again in the near future, although we have not yet settled on an exact date. We want to be thorough and make sure we have the best plan possible for our residents.”