Is it possible to divert some income tax revenue from residents, including those living in tax abated properties, from the state to the schools? Plain Dealer editor Joe Frolik and others have asked.

State law does permit a school district to pass a schools income tax, but local voters have to pass it, confirms Robin Thomas at the Cuyahoga County Treasurer’s Office.

The City of Euclid is one of the few municipalities in the area with a schools income tax. In the early 1990s, Euclid passed a ballot initiative to raise income tax .85% with a portion going to the schools and a portion to pay for city services.

A schools income tax would generate revenue from new residents in tax abated properties, but it would also affect renters and people on a fixed income, Thomas adds.

With lower-income individuals far outnumbering residents receiving tax abatements, would a schools income tax in Cleveland be more likely to add a burden rather than introducing an equitable approach?