School Levys: My 2 cents

Yesterday, the Little Miami School levy failed. The system will now have to be taken over by the state.

Here is all I have to say about this...

The school levy would increase the average homeowner's taxes by about $900 per year. If the property taxes in LM are similar to where I live, that would mean almost doubling my property taxes.

Let's make the following assumptions...
Not every household in LM has a child in the school system, and of those that don't some may one day have children while others will not.

This is a crappy economy. Some people are on very fixed incomes. $900 per year equates to an additional $75 per month, approximately $17 per week, and about $0.44 per working hour (after taxes) of pay. Doesn't sound that bad. But let's say that you work for a company that has recently laid off people, cut benefits, and asked management to take pay cuts or relinquish annual raises to help make ends meet. Now go ask them for a $0.44+ (still gotta pay income taxes) per hour raise. What are the chances that they say yes?

Putting it all together...
For someone on a fixed income who does not now, nor will he/she ever, have kids in the school system, what is the incentive to vote for a levy where there is absolutely no direct benefit?

I can't blame (some specific) voters for not passing this levy.

It's not like the school will close either. Yes, they may be taken over by the state. And yes, they may have to cut programs. But at the end of the day, these kids will still have an education that will meet the minimum state requirements. And during that time, LM will have the chance to learn how to tighten it's belt and evaluate what is truly necessary in operating the school system.