Cleveland Voters OK Bonds To Repair Schools

By Karla Scoon Reid

Clevelanders agreed last week to a tax hike that will raise millions of dollars to repair and renovate the city's aging public schools.

The successful bond issue will generate $335 million for school construction and qualifies the district for $500 million in state assistance. The measure also guarantees that $3 million will be raised annually for building maintenance, an area that has been underfunded for years. The bonds will be repaid over 25 years.

"It's phenomenal," said Barbara Byrd-Bennett, the district's chief executive officer. "I thought it would be a tighter...