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Treasurer presents fiscal‑24 district profile showing Amherst among lowest‑revenue districts in Ohio
Summary
The district treasurer presented the fiscal‑24 district profile (CUP report) to the board, highlighting Amherst’s low total revenue per pupil relative to state averages, enrollment and staffing metrics, and the district’s limited local tax base.
The Amherst Exempted Village Board of Education heard a detailed fiscal‑24 district profile from district finance staff that showed Amherst ranks near the bottom of Ohio districts for total revenue per pupil and described several indicators of revenue pressure.
The presenter said Amherst’s enrollment was 3,494 and that district totals included an assessed valuation per pupil of about $208,466. She said Amherst’s total revenue per pupil was $12,277 for fiscal 2024 compared with a statewide average of $18,168. The presenter also said Amherst’s total expenditures per pupil were $12,584 versus a statewide average of $16,311.
On personnel, the profile reported that 72% of Amherst teachers have 10 or more years’ experience and that the district’s average teacher salary was $76,703, about $8,700 higher than the statewide average reported in the profile. The district’s administrator salary average also exceeded the statewide average by roughly $12,000, the presentation said.
The treasurer’s presentation showed the district collects a higher share of its revenue locally (43.1% local, 38.7% state in the most recent fiscal year) and warned board members that state funding has been shrinking as a share of total revenue. Presenters told the board that, under one version of the proposed state biennial budget discussed in Columbus, the state share could fall below 30% for some districts, increasing reliance on local levies.
Board members and staff discussed the implications for future levy planning and community outreach. Treasurer and administration members said Amherst has limited capacity to cut positions further without affecting services and that future operating levies or other revenue actions may be necessary to maintain current programs.
The presentation also covered other standard CUP report metrics—assessed valuation by class, pupil-to-administrator and pupil-to-teacher ratios, special-revenue items, and personnel costs as a share of total expenditures—and concluded with staff recommending that the district develop communication materials summarizing the profile for the public.
The board received the report and asked staff to prepare public-facing materials and follow-up analysis; no budget or levy action was taken at the meeting.
