A multi-district school safety issue was defeated by a margin of 3 to 1 in Tuesday’s Special Election.

The 1.49-mill continuous levy was to be used to fund safety improvements and mental health services in 16 local school districts serviced by the Stark County Educational Service Center.

Districts that would have received funding from the levy included Alliance, Fairless, Jackson, Lake, Louisville, Marlington, Massillon, Minerva, North Canton, Northwest, Osnaburg, Plain, Sandy Valley and Tuslaw in Stark County, Brown Local in Carroll County, and Strasburg-Franklin in Tuscarawas County.

In Stark County, just over 30,000 voters, or roughly 16 percent those registered in districts that would have been serviced by the levy, cast a ballot during yesterday’s election, according to preliminary results from the Stark County Board of Elections. Of the ballots cast, 7,024, or 23.4 percent, were in favor of the levy, and 22,993, or 76.6 percent were opposed.

Of the 496 ballots cast by voters in the Strasburg-Franklin school district in Tuscarawas County, 101 were in favor of the levy and 395 were opposed.   

Stacey Carmany, TuscoTV