Crucial Levy Goes Down in Cleveland

Loss Could Mean Layoffs, Blow to Superintendent

Cleveland voters last week soundly rejected a levy intended to bolster the school district’s finances, a move widely interpreted as a referendum on the performance of its leader, Barbara Byrd-Bennett.

Two-thirds of the voters who turned out for the Aug. 2 special election cast their ballots against Issue 3, which would have raised more than $45 million to restore the jobs of some teachers and security guards, as well as bring back sports and after-school programs that were cut as the district’s financial woes deepened over the past few years. A portion would also have gone to alleviate future anticipated debt.

Alan Seifullah, a spokesman for the 65,000-student district, said officials were weighing whether to put another levy proposal on the November ballot. It’s too soon to say whether more layoffs would be needed this year, he said, but without more revenue, the district might have to find new savings by cutting personnel or closing even more schools than the...