WESTFIELD TWP. – At its Sept. 17 meeting, the Cloverleaf Board of Education approved a resolution to cut property taxes for district residents. The board's goal is to reduce the impact of a projected 25 percent increase in property values, resulting from Medina County’s 2025 sexennial real estate reappraisal.
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The plan includes reducing the district’s permanent improvement levy and two emergency (fixed-dollar) levies by a total of 3.3 mills – representing a 58 percent reduction in voted property tax millage. In addition, Cloverleaf is extending its promise not to ask taxpayers for any new funding until at least 2032.
“For more than a decade, the guiding principle for us here at Cloverleaf has been, ‘Promises made, promises kept,’ ” said board of education President Jason Myers. “This board has promised to support the taxpayers who support our students. This latest tax reduction proposal is a continuation of that commitment.”
What helps make the tax reduction possible is the fact Cloverleaf is due to receive approximately $23 million from the Ohio Facilities Construction Commission in early 2026. These funds represent the state’s share of construction costs for Cloverleaf’s elementary, middle and high schools. The district would use this state money to pay off the construction debt for the elementary school, which opened in 2012. Cloverleaf currently is using Medina County sales tax dollars, earmarked for school permanent improvements, to pay for the elementary school. This frees up $1.6 million per year in county sales tax revenue that Cloverleaf can use for general permanent improvements. The new middle and high schools are funded by NEXUS natural gas pipeline tax revenue.
“Through prudent financial and operational planning, and with the support of the Cloverleaf community, the district is able to offer this tax reduction,” said Cloverleaf Treasurer Jim Hudson. “We remain committed to closely monitoring our financial position with the goal of delivering the highest quality education at the lowest possible cost.”
This would mark the fifth time in five years the board of education has cut taxes for Cloverleaf residents. The district reduced its permanent improvement levy in 2020 and 2025, reduced its earned income tax in 2022, and reduced a property tax levy in 2023. Cloverleaf has not asked residents for additional funding since 2014. At the same time, the district has provided students with all new schools and made numerous athletic facility upgrades at no additional cost to taxpayers.
The only unknown in the district’s tax-cutting plan is the impact of potential future legislation or veto overrides by the Ohio General Assembly that could adversely affect Cloverleaf’s finances. The recently approved state budget contained several provisions, vetoed by Gov. Mike DeWine, that would negatively impact school funding at the local level. Should actions by the legislature cause Cloverleaf to lose funding, it may be necessary for the board of education to reinstate all or part of the voter-approved levies it proposes to reduce.
“Much of the recently proposed legislation affecting schools shows a clear misunderstanding of how school funding works,” said Dr. Daryl Kubilus, superintendent of Cloverleaf Schools. “While we are trying to stabilize taxes for our Cloverleaf residents during this rise in property values, we also have to program safeguards to protect our future funding. This plan will only work if legislators stop trying to dismantle local funding.”
Medina County Auditor Anthony Capretta has said his office would time the tax reductions for Cloverleaf residents to coincide with the new real estate values, which take effect Jan. 1.
“The auditor’s office is thrilled to work in conjunction with Cloverleaf Schools to provide some relief to district taxpayers,” said Capretta. “My office applauds the efforts of Cloverleaf’s leadership on being proactive with a voluntary reduction of their millage rates. This showcases their commitment to fiscal prudence and the overall commitment to the community at large, while still providing the educational opportunities for their students and families.”