CHESTER TOWNSHIP, Ohio — West Geauga Schools’ levy defeat will not result in immediate cuts, but officials are warning that the district must still confront long-term financial pressures — including aging facilities, rising costs and the state’s recent elimination of a levy approach that would’ve made bills cheaper for homeowners.

Superintendent Nancy Benincasa, at a recent school board meeting, emphasized that the levy, which failed Nov. 4, was intended to stabilize the district’s future finances rather than address an immediate shortfall.

“We have time,” she told the board, stressing that the district planned ahead to avoid sudden reductions in services.

But Benincasa noted the district cannot rely on its healthy reserve fund balance to cover long-term needs. Some of those funds have

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