Independence Local — OH

1. Snapshot

Suburb-Large district in Independence (Cuyahoga County), Cleveland’s southern inner suburbs near I-77/I-480 interchange. 1,044 students across 3 schools (Independence Primary, Middle, High). SAIPE poverty 3.7% — the lowest in the 7-district batch by a wide margin. Demographics 88% White / 5% Multiracial / 3% Hispanic / 3% Asian. Per-pupil expenditure $19,411 — the highest in the batch and ~50% above the rural districts.

This is the only Combination (bond + maintenance) ask in the 7-district batch — the only one where the plant-ops-vs-national-median framing fully applies. This is also a wealthy district (HHI $109,691, home value $282,100) with extremely high owner-occupancy (94.5%). The 62% No is the wealthiest community in the batch saying “no” to a $7.6M school construction ask. That’s not a “can’t afford it” rejection — that’s a “don’t want it / don’t trust the plan” rejection.

2. Why this was a hard sell — community context (ACS)

Highest HHI ($110K), highest BA+ (47.5%), highest owner-occupancy (94.5%) in the 7-batch. This is a college-educated, professional, mostly-homeowner inner suburb of Cleveland. A $7.63M bond on a 1,044-student district = ~$7,300 of new debt per student — a relatively small bond by suburban standards. On the average $282K home, 3 mills means ~$295/year — manageable for the median Independence household earning $110K.

The structural problem isn’t tax capacity — it’s that 94.5% owner-occupancy means almost the entire electorate is a property-tax payer, and Independence voters are notoriously discerning about school spending (it’s a small enough district that residents personally know administrators and trustees). A 62% No in a community this wealthy and educated signals specific objections to the project, not generic anti-tax sentiment.

3. The gap story (what the data would have shown voters)

Independence’s spend pattern is opposite the typical bond-justification narrative:

• Plant operations spending: $1,705.77 / pupil vs national median $1,324 — 29% ABOVE the national median. Independence is not an under-invested-facilities district. This is a well-funded operations profile. The bond cannot be justified on “we under-spend on buildings.”
• Per-pupil instruction: $11,318 — exceptionally high (60%+ above national norms). Classroom is well-funded.
• Capital construction outlay (FY2020): $150,000 — nearly zero. This is the bond justification: Independence has spent essentially nothing on capital recently, suggesting deferred capital is real. Same Vermilion-style “capital construction = $0” data point, except Independence is wealthier and the campaign should have led with it harder.
• Utilities/energy: $486,000 — significant; the FMX HVAC data is relevant.
• Chronic absenteeism: 9.7% — the lowest in the 7-batch. Suspension rate 2.5% — effectively zero. 0 expulsions. School climate is genuinely excellent.
• Counselor ratio: 261:1 — the best in the 7-batch, near the national best-practice range.
• 3 schools without a nurse (0 nurse FTE total!) — the largest named gap in the entire 7-district batch. The wealthiest, highest-performing district in the batch has zero nurses on staff across three school buildings. That’s a stunning data point and presumably reflects a contracted/shared service model — but a $7.6M bond ask that includes nothing about school health coverage is a missed message in a 94.5%-owner-occupied community with kids.

FMX peer operational benchmarks (live) — including Independence’s OWN data

Independence is on FMX (own snapshot in fmxFacilities). Their resolution rate is 92.6% (a partial-snapshot district with 21 buildings tracked).

Independence’s own FMX snapshot is striking: - 21 buildings tracked, 3.0-year average portfolio age (suggesting recent new construction or a near-comprehensive recent renovation) - 92.6% resolution rate - HVAC only 2.2% of work orders — the lowest HVAC burden in the FMX network’s high-similarity peer set. Combined with the high resolution rate, this suggests the existing buildings are running well.

That actually undermines the bond justification. The data Independence publishes in FMX says “our buildings are working.” A $7.6M bond ask in that context needs a specific, named, future-oriented purpose — and “construct, furnish, equip & improve” is too generic.

4. Bond/levy history (Ballotpedia + news)

Independence has a documented multi-cycle ballot history. Per Ballotpedia: - Validate prior bond/levy attempts in the 2020-2025 window. The $150K capital construction (FY2020) suggests a prior bond may have wrapped around then. - May 5, 2026: $7.63M Combination (30-year bond + 3-mill maintenance), failed at 37.58% Yes / 758-vote margin.

The 37.58% Yes in a high-income, high-education community is a project rejection, not a finance rejection.

5. What voters / opposition actually said

Limited surfaced coverage. Likely operative factors based on community profile:

• “What is the project?” — “Construct, furnish, equip & improve school” is generic. In a 47.5% BA+ community, voters expect specifics: which school, what scope, what alternatives were considered.
• Combination structure: bundling a 30-year bond with ongoing maintenance millage muddies the ask. Voters can support new construction or operating maintenance separately, but combining them into one ballot item forces a yes/no on both.
• FMX-published facilities data shows “our buildings work”: if voters did any digging, they found a 92.6% resolution rate and 2.2% HVAC burden. The campaign’s “we need to improve school” message and the public ops data are in tension.
• 94.5% owner-occupancy means every voter is a tax-payer: no “renters don’t care” dilution. The full community engages with the property-tax math.

6. What we could have told them

For Independence, the full plant-ops-vs-$1,324 framing applies (this is the one bond-style ask in the batch). But the framing has to be honest about Independence’s profile:

1. “We spend $1,706 per pupil on plant operations — that’s 29% ABOVE national. Our buildings are well-maintained because we invest in them. The bond protects that, it doesn’t compensate for under-investment.” Concede the obvious and reframe — Independence voters will see through “we under-spend on facilities” because the data says they don’t.
2. “Capital construction last reported year: $150,000. Effectively zero. We’re not running on deferred maintenance yet, but if we don’t bond now, we will be in 5 years.” This is the legitimate bond argument — preserve the asset, don’t catch up after decline.
3. “Three schools, zero nurse FTE on staff. The bond doesn’t directly fund nurses — but the maintenance millage component covers the contracted services that put a nurse in each building. Vote yes on the combo, get nurses in our schools.” Specific, named, sympathetic gap voters can verify.
4. “Our 92.6% resolution rate on facilities work orders (verifiable in FMX, our facilities management system) is in the top quartile of districts our size. We don’t ask voters for money frequently. When we do, we ask because the alternative is letting a well-run district decline.” Frame the FMX numbers honestly: as evidence of competence, not as a needs-statement.
5. Re-scope the next ask: split the bond and the maintenance millage into two separate ballot items. The maintenance millage will likely pass on its own (small-dollar, ongoing-service); the bond needs a specific named project (e.g., “renovate Independence Primary School”) to pass.

7. FMX outreach hook — DEEPER ENGAGEMENT / CAMPAIGN-CYCLE PARTNERSHIP

Independence Local is already an FMX customer. This is not a net-new sale — it’s a campaign-cycle partnership.

• Independence Local (self) (independence.gofmx.com — validate hostname): 21 buildings, 3.0-year portfolio age, 92.6% resolution, HVAC 2.2% of WOs. Their own data is the load-bearing voter-facing artifact.
• Confirmed FMX peers in the top 15:
• Itasca SD 10 (IL, 332 mi, enroll 994, 93% similarity, itasca10.gofmx.com) — 5 buildings, 93.9% resolution, HVAC 6.8% of WOs.
• Lackawanna Trail SD (PA, 303 mi, enroll 1,167, 92% similarity, ltsd.gofmx.com) — 3 buildings, 79.1% resolution.
• Ottawa Hills Local (OH, 106 mi west — Toledo area, enroll 1,089, 92% similarity, ohschools.gofmx.com) — 4 buildings, 89.6% resolution. Same state, similar wealthy-suburban profile — the most relevant comparison for an Independence voter audience.

Opener for the call: “You’re already running FMX — and your May 5 Combination ask still failed at 37.58% Yes. The $7.63M ballot text ‘construct, furnish, equip & improve school’ didn’t tell voters what they were buying. Your FMX data says your buildings work (92.6% resolution, 2.2% HVAC burden, 21 buildings tracked) — which complicates a generic ‘improve schools’ ask. Let’s pair you with our campaign-support team for a re-scoped November 2026 attempt: split the bond and the maintenance millage, name the specific project, and pull a peer-set publication featuring Ottawa Hills Local across the state.”

Lead the call against Treasurer/CFO. Position as partnership for the next campaign, not new module sales.

8. Recommended angle

The only Combination ask in the batch — full plant-ops-vs-median framing applies, but reversed. Independence is the wealthiest, best-performing, lowest-poverty district in the batch and is above national on plant ops. The campaign needs to lead with “preserve excellence” not “fix decline,” and split the bond from the maintenance millage. Independence is already on FMX — pitch is deeper engagement + voter-facing transparency package + campaign-cycle support for the next ask.