The Mansfield City Schools Board of Education voted unanimously Tuesday evening to put a five-year renewal levy on the May 7 ballot.
  

This is not the renewal levy that failed to pass on Nov.7 There will be no other opportunity to pass that renewal, which raised $4 million yearly.

The levy action approved by the board Tuesday is the renewal of a five-year levy passed in 1993, then renewed in 1998, 2003 and, most recently, in March 2008. It generates $3.9 million annually.
 

The board was shocked that the renewal did not pass on Nov. 7.
 

"I want to say how disappointed I was that our recent levy didn't pass. I was confident on the fact that over the last three years we've made amazing strides in both academics and finances," board president Chris Elswick said.

"It was shocking to me that the community wouldn't support the gains we've made," Elswick said.

"I talked to several others and they too were shocked that the levy failed," board member Lowell Smith said. "But it was a presidential election and I think we had people who didn't thinl about it," Smith said. 

Board member Renda Cline said she talked to community residents who said they weren't aware of the renewal.

"We need to make sure voters are looking for it in May," Cline said.

"I don't think we did a really good job of selling it," board member Cliff Crose said. "We thought the job we had done would sell it, but it didn't. We'll need to work for the renewal in May," Cross said.

Supt. Dan Freund said the district will try harder to win support for the May renewal.

"I did get some feedback from people. I didn't do a good job as a superintendent getting the word out to people as far as just what the levy was about. I will do a better job with that for the May renewal," Freund said.

 The vote authorizes Treasurer Rosetta Stephens to submit a copy of the resolution to the county auditor for certification of the millage necessary to raise $3.9 million annually.
   

Subsequent board resolutions will be required in order to submit ballot language to the county board of elections by the Feb. 6 deadline.