With Mariemont City School District's sterling reputation for student achievement and parent involvement, it seemed unthinkable that voters would reject a school levy for the first time ever last week.

        But when it comes to passing school levies, voters in Mariemont and districts across the Tristate are no longer willing to “just do it for the kids.”

        Voters demand to know why their school district needs money and what it will be used for. Even then, there are no guarantees.

        In addition to Mariemont, voters turned down a levy in Little Miami Schools in Warren County and a bond issue in Butler County's Talawanda Schools Tuesday.

        Since Ohio hasn't changed the way it funds education, school districts will eventually find themselves on the ballot for operating expenses or to build new facilities.

        “Campaigns need to be much more focused today than before,” said Roger Effron, president of Effron & Associates, an education consulting firm. “You've got a smart public out there who has access to information. You've got to put your message out there, but it better be supported by facts and figures.”

        It's harder to pass a levy, too, because opponents have become more active.

        “It may be organized opposition, or it may be somebody who puts out a "no' sign they made themselves,” Mr. Effron said. “We're seeing that the Internet is also being used as vehicle, where people are now able to communicate ... their messages.”

        Still stinging from Tuesday's defeat, Mariemont's leaders are trying to figure out what went wrong and whether to place a levy on the ballot later this year. Voters turned down a 9.95 mill levy, 63 percent to 37 percent.

        The size of the levy, the economy, the uncertainty of state funding and organized opposition may have contributed to the defeat, said superintendent Gerry Harris.

        Another factor that affects outcomes is the number of tax issues on the ballot, said Mr. Effron, who works with Brewster Rhoads, another educational consultant, to help districts pass levies.

        “Ballots become awfully heavy at times with everything from parks to mental health to schools to fire departments to city income taxes,” Mr. Effron said. “A school levy has to break through all of that clutter to get their message out.”

        Wyoming Superintendent Ted Knapke said it's getting more difficult to pass a levy because the state's school financing system is so complicated.

        “It's extremely difficult to eliminate all misconceptions so people know exactly why the funds are needed,” he said.

        Wyoming's 9.5-mill levy passed Tuesday. The district's income tax helped it stay off the ballot for eight years. Unfortunately, Mr. Knapke said, Mariemont was on the ballot four years ago for operating purposes. At that time, voters approved a 9.95-mill increase.

        “When you have to come back that soon, people are very reluctant to pass another tax,” Mr. Knapke said. “Unfortunately, that's the Ohio system. Every three or four years, you have to be back on ballot. The state doesn't allow for growth in the real estate tax, and the powers that be don't seem willing to change it.”

        A law passed in the 1970s causes the real estate tax to stay flat, even though a homeowner's property value goes up, he explained. The premise of the legislation, passed when there was 10 to 15 percent appreciation on properties, was that homeowners should vote for any tax increase on their property.

        “I think Mariemont learned it's extremely difficult to go back for operating funds twice in four years, no matter how well you handle your money and how frugal you're trying to be and how good your results are,” Mr. Knapke said. “But that's what the system requires.”

        There's no question it's more difficult to pass a school levy than it was five to 10 years ago, said John Brandt, executive director of the Ohio School Boards Association. The economy is sluggishwhich makes people more concerned about their jobs and personal finance.

        “I still believe if a school district does a good job explaining what the (state school funding) system is and why they need the funds, people still want to support their schools,” Mr. Brandt said.

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