A five-year school levy in Mentor is hanging on by the thinnest of margins. In an early count released Tuesday night, Issue 5 led 6,293 votes to 6,276 — a difference of just 17 votes, with none of the 163 Election Day precincts across Lake County yet counted.
The Lake County Board of Elections released the unofficial tally at 7:49 p.m., showing Issue 5 ahead 50.07% to 49.93%, according to cleveland.com. That early count reflected only early in-person and mail ballots, leaving the outcome very much unsettled as more results come in.
Issue 5 asks Mentor property owners to approve a 3.5-mill, five-year operating levy that would generate an estimated $9.6 million annually starting in 2027. For homeowners, the district says that works out to about $123 a year, or $10.25 a month, for every $100,000 of property value — meaning a $200,000 home would see roughly $246 added to its annual tax bill, per the same cleveland.com report.
A Smaller Ask After a May Defeat
This is not the district's first trip to the ballot this year. Mentor voters rejected a larger, 4.9-mill additional levy on the May 5 primary ballot that would have generated $13.5 million annually, with the unofficial final tally landing at 8,256 to 7,039 against, according to News-Herald. That rejected request would have cost taxpayers about $172 per year per $100,000 of property valuation.
Mentor Schools has said the November request is $3.9 million less per year than what voters turned down in the spring, according to the district. Still, the fall ballot measure represents the district's attempt to find a number voters might accept after watching a bigger ask fail in May — the cleveland.com report also notes that voters rejected larger funding requests back in 2023.
Cuts Are Coming Regardless, District Says
Whatever happens with Issue 5, change is already underway. Mentor Schools has cut about $6.6 million from its budget for the current 2026-27 school year, and Superintendent Craig Heath told the school board that planned school consolidation will proceed no matter how the election turns out. The district estimates that consolidation will save roughly $3.4 million annually starting in 2027-28, with those savings already built into its budget planning.
If Issue 5 ultimately fails, district officials say they would need to find at least another $9.6 million in cuts heading into the 2027-28 school year. Current planning for that scenario includes eliminating about 77 teaching and other licensed positions, 39 support positions and five administrative positions, according to Mentor Public Schools.
What Deeper Cuts Could Mean for Classrooms
The district has outlined specific consequences students and families could feel if further reductions become necessary. Fewer teachers would mean larger elementary class sizes, and specials such as art, music, STEAM and physical education could be significantly reduced, the district said. Officials also warned that levy failure could bring cuts to school resource officers, counselors, transportation and extracurricular programs.
Middle and high schoolers could see narrower options too. The district said students could have fewer electives and fewer opportunities to explore interests beyond required coursework if additional cuts are needed. Mentor officials have framed levy revenue as a way to avoid those deeper cuts to staffing, academic programs, transportation and extracurricular activities.
Board Vote Wasn't Unanimous
Putting Issue 5 before voters wasn't a unanimous call from district leadership. The Mentor school board voted 4-1 to place the levy on the ballot, with board member Rose Ioppolo casting the sole opposing vote. Ioppolo and other opponents have argued the district should scrutinize its own spending — particularly administrative compensation and benefits — before asking taxpayers for more revenue.
District officials counter that expenses are growing faster than revenue as enrollment declines. Mentor Schools enrollment has fallen about 10.5% over five years, while the district's five-year forecast projects revenue growth of only about 1.4% over the same period, according to the cleveland.com report. With Issue 5's fate still undecided as more precincts report, that enrollment-and-revenue gap remains the backdrop against which Mentor's budget decisions will play out in the months ahead.
