PALMA, Ohio — In the same week, Parma City School Board Vice President Amanda Karpas resigned after being arrested on counterfeiting charges, and the school district voted to impose a new tax on May 2. Acknowledged.
Similar to November’s failed request for new money, this levy is a 4-mil bond issuance that, if approved, will fund the construction of a $250 million high school building that will serve the entire district. It will cost a $100,000 homeowner $11.67 per month to cover On the site of the current Parma High School.
“There are still considerable divisions in the community,” said Charles Smirek, superintendent of Parma City Schools. “The people who support us are very excited about us moving forward, and they continue to recognize the need and provide support for the children, or at least the community if there are no students. We want to move the facility forward for no longer a school.
“And of course those who oppose tax increases feel they have a better plan and don’t trust us. They’re pretty loud on social media right now. Half of the time, it’s about getting the message across as positively as possible.”
Last November, residents of the Parma City School District broke No. 9, a $3.95 million bond issue that cost $100,000 homeowners $11.53 a month. (John Benson/cleveland.com)
The superintendent said he had nothing to do with the school district, but it remains to be seen how residents will view Carpus’ arrest.
That wasn’t the case in 2009, when J. Kevin Kelly, then president of the Parma School, was accused of managing thousands of dollars in cash and campaign donations to contracts with school districts. There was not.
A key FBI witness in one of the largest corruption cases in Cuyahoga County history, Kelly was later sentenced to six years in prison. He was released from prison in 2018.
At the time, media attention gave the district a black eye for financial misconduct that some residents have not forgotten.
“The timing (of Karpas’ arrest) is simply disappointing,” Smirek said. “I know that kind of concern is widespread, but I’ve tried to explain to people that this is one person of hers, and honestly, since I learned of the allegations against Mrs. Within weeks, she disappeared from the board.
“This is what we really thought was a very short blip on the radar, and the problem going forward is that we don’t really have discretion over how these funds are used. The proof is the opening of a new high school with a total student population of 3,000.There is no room for mismanagement of funds here.”
This relates to a new school plan for which the school district will receive $79.1 million in matching funds from the Ohio Facilities and Construction Commission (OFCC).
“OFCC will work hand in hand with us,” said Smialek. “They are doing this right now in the majority of school districts across Ohio, so we have a very reliable, very experienced partner to help us with this.
“Our job is to keep explaining these things as often as we can, to every nook and cranny of town we can get into.”
Despite the fact that residents of Palma, Palma Heights and Seven Hills voted against the new tax collection this fall for the third time in three years, Mr. Smirek said the latest results were strong enough to get him back to voters. said that it shows that there is good prospects.
“We are currently in the meeting and planning stages,” says Smialek.
“Last time we lost the voting segment by about 1,400 votes, so we know we have to do a better job of communicating the facts and figures to those who voted absentee or early in-person. So our message needs to get out faster than ever before.”
Read more news from Palma Sun Post here.
