04/15/2026
The more you know
Let me explain the law that's bankrupting your schools — and why most people have it backwards.
When your property taxes go up after a reassessment, who do you blame? The school district, right?
Here's the thing: your school barely sees a dime from that increase.
In 1976, Ohio passed HB 920. Here's what it does: every time the county reassesses property values higher, the law AUTOMATICALLY cuts your school's voted levy rate so the district collects the exact same total dollars as before. Not adjusted for inflation. Not adjusted for rising costs. The same frozen amount. Forever.
Now, to be completely transparent — there IS a small exception. Every district has 10 "inside" mills that aren't subject to HB 920. Those do grow with property values. But inside mills make up only about 10-20% of a district's property tax revenue. They cover roughly 17 cents of every dollar in rising costs. The other 80-90% — every levy you've ever voted for — is frozen.
Your home went from $200K to $250K. Your tax bill went up. But the school's voted levies? Flat. The rate dropped to make sure of it.
Meanwhile, insurance costs go up. Utilities go up. Salaries go up. And the revenue from every levy you approved is locked in place by a law from 1976.
That's why your district keeps coming back to the ballot asking for levies. It's not greed. It's math. It's the only way they can get a raise — by asking you to vote for one, over and over again.
Ohio is the ONLY state in the country that does this. HB 920 freezes $11.21 billion per year in voter-approved school revenue.
County reassessments are causing your property tax crisis — not your schools. A 50-year-old law made sure of that.