PDY Schools Levy Supporters Rally in Delta
Dozens of Delta residents and Pike-Delta-York Local Schools faculty, administrators and staff members gathered in a cold and windy pouring rain in the parking lot of the Barn Restaurant this past Saturday afternoon to show their support for the upcoming 1% income tax levy to benefit the PDY Local Schools District. Officially, the vote will be taken on May 4, 2021, but early voting is now available at the Fulton County Board of Elections on Fulton Street in Wauseon.
Helping to draw people to the rally was the Barn Restaurant which served take-out lunches for no profit. A steady line of cars from Airport Highway rolled through the parking lot to show their support and take advantage of the meal deal.
This is the second attempt to pass the levy after going down to defeat 2309-1714 in November of 2020. The PDY Board of Education has already approved a list of reductions if the levy fails again. These include a reduction in force of 18 faculty and staff positions, program reductions including all extra-curricular activities and the high school Future Farmers of America (FFA) program and a reduction in transportation including the elimination of bussing to the high school.
The elimination of the FFA is especially concerning for participating students growing up in this agricultural community. FFA is very important to me,” said Delta student Blake Hilton. “If we didn’t have FFA I would not be going to Delta schools.” Blake went on to say how much he enjoyed learning about animal husbandry, soil management and many other aspects of the agricultural industry.
In a town the size of Delta, many of the residents are deeply rooted in the local school system and the ancillary programs, school-related and others, that act as a bonding agent for the community. “My husband (Mark) is a teacher and a coach. He is a middle school football and wrestling coach and a special education teacher. He was born and raised in Delta, graduated from Delta, went to college and came back. We have two sons and two daughters in the program right now,” said resident Rachel Nagel relating her family’s close connection to the school. “There is a tradition and a legacy being part of this community. The only thing I try to impress upon people is our kids are representatives of this community. When they go out and represent the school they wear “Delta” on their uniforms.” Ms. Nagel also mentioned the Two-Year Kindergarten program which she described as “an opportunity like no other” being on the list of cancellations.
A town hall event is being held on Tuesday, April 13th at 7:00 p.m. in the Delta Middle School to have more discussions on the significance of the levy vote. “School is more than just the 8-5 every day. There are a lot of other activities that go hand-in-hand with producing a well-rounded student,” explained Dr. Ted Haselman, PDY Schools Superintendent. “We’re in a position right now we need additional funding to continue those great experiences and activities for our students.”
The result of the vote will have a major impact not only on the Delta community but other communities and school systems in the area and the Northwest Ohio Athletic League (NWOAL) as well. A coach from another NWOAL school commented on the possible affect on their team if the levy were to fail. “It will be interesting to see how many kids we get from Delta,” said the coach.
Pictured: Some of the many supporters that braved the rainy weather at the Delta levy rally.
Fulton County Ohio Media 
As many are aware, Delta schools will be putting an income tax on the ballot on May 4th. I’m afraid that many residents do not know much about this. They want 1% of your income taxed. They have assured older residents that their social security will not be taxed. But they failed to inform older residents that their pensions will be taxed. This 1% income tax is not instead of the property tax levy that was just passed 2 years ago. This 1% income tax is in addition to the property tax levy that was passed 2 years ago.
If you have a $40,000 a year pension, you will be paying an additional $400 in tax. If you and your spouse work and make $100,000 per year, you will be paying an additional $1,000 in tax. If you own a business, your net income will now be taxed at an additional 1%. I for one, would like to know what they have done with the increased property tax levy that passed 2 years ago.
The tax abatements are money that the school never included in their budget in the first place. How does missing out on $200,000 in abated taxes equal the need for $1,775,832 per year? The abated taxes is something that the school never had and never worked into their budget. How do you miss something that you never had?
Please be aware, this will affect everyone living in the school district, including the elderly. They say that it’s only for 5 years, but from past experience, it never goes away and always goes up. It will be back on the ballot again and again and they will only need more and more.
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