School districts across Ohio are eagerly awaiting direction from state lawmakers in order to balance their future budgets. The proposed changes may have varying effects on each district.
Tiffany Tarpley of News 5 spoke with the superintendents of Elyria City Schools and North Ridgeville City Schools about what happens next now that House lawmakers have enough votes to override Governor Mike DeWine’s veto.
If the Senate agrees, school districts will no longer be able to place emergency or substitute levies on the ballot, or to request an increase or renewal of an existing levy.
“If it stands with the senate moving forward and there’s no alternative legislation put in place, North Ridgeville City schools will lose $12 million beginning in 2029, which is 20-percent of our operating budget and I’m not sure that the legislature, who are representing different areas within our state, understand the different ramifications to each school district,” Roxann Caserio, North Ridgeville Superintendent, said.
“In a community like North Ridgeville, who really wanted to keep their taxes low, that substitute levy offered our current taxpayers the opportunity to pass the same amount of money that they had been paying but to allow new construction to come online and contribute to the district.”
Both superintendents stated that if the change occurs, the consequences would be disastrous. Additional budget cuts to busing, programming, and other areas may be considered.
“We’re actually taking some precautionary measures right now and I’ve asked all our departments to look at how they can potentially reduce between 10-20 percent, [and] what that looks like,” according to Caserio.
There is concern that public education is being attacked. These superintendents want to work with lawmakers to find a better solution.
“If we keep the children at the center of every decision we make, we’ll never go wrong, and I believe that’s why we’re fighting,” said Elyria City Schools Superintendent Ann Schloss.
“We always try to stay as far away from the kids, as we say, and the programs but when you’re talking, for us, it would be almost $20 million with the new money we’re asking for in November, that didn’t pass in May, that is 20% of our budget, as well, there is no way to cut yourself out of that.”
Ohio House Speaker Matt Huffman (R) has stated that the purpose of these proposed changes is to provide property tax relief.
“They don’t quite know what they’re voting on because everybody wants to vote yes for the kids but later on they find out how high their taxes went,” he told me.
It is unclear when Ohio senators will vote, but reports suggest it will be this fall.
