School Board Keeping Options Open During 'Economic Hurricane'

With the final votes on the Ohio State Budget expected to be a week away, the  is already examining options from possible staff reductions to pay-to-play.

House Bill 153, the state budget, is expected to meet the June 30 deadline. At Wednesday’s Board of Education meeting, Superintendent Stephen Marlow said it looks like the tangible personal property tax, a major source of revenue for the district, will be phased out.

He said district administrators have already looked at ways to reduce the budget including leaving vacant positions open, freezing administrator salaries, and restructuring the nursing contract. Marlow said those methods have already reduced next year's expenses by $1 million.

“I know as we continue to deal with the financial picture of the state and our district, I know that’s what we’ll continue to analyze in terms of positions and what becomes available,” Marlow said.

The school board is waiting to hear how the state budget will affect an already decreased revenue stream. Board member David Andrews said at this point, the district’s revenue is anticipated to be at $38 million for this coming school year, $3 million less than two years before.

“The double-whammy is what’s coming from the state in this budget,” Andrews said. “What we expect by the end of June is that the tangible personal property tax will be more rapidly phased out.”

He said because of this phaseout, the district could be looking at almost $5 million less in revenue. With a budget of $40 million, the discussion is now becoming how to bridge the gap.

“We have to be planning now how to balance that budget beyond the next couple of fiscal years,” Andrews said.

Some of the possibilities briefly mentioned at Wednesday night’s meeting included staff reductions beyond attrition, pay freezes, reductions in services, and potential fees such as activity fees and pay-to-play. The board didn’t go into details, but said these discussions would get more in-depth in future meetings.

“All of those are on the table at this point,” Andrews said. He believes they need to begin planning now, rather than waiting another school year.

“The economic hurricane is on our shores,” Andrews said. “There’s no delaying dealing with this any further.”

Board President Ron Stuver added some optimism to the conversation. He pointed out that while it appears the state budget will still reduce school funding, it isn’t as much as they originally feared.

“The good news is, it’s not as bad,” Stuver said. “The bad news is, it’s still bad because they are going to reduce school funding.”

Twinsburg Patch will continue to follow this story as it develops. Make sure to keep checking back for more updates as they become available.