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Superintendent warns state budget proposals could cut Marlington funding; board discusses letter to legislators
Summary
Superintendent David Foss told the Marlington board that elements in the governor’s biennium budget and separate bills could reduce state aid to the district; he said administrators are preparing potential staffing and spending cuts and offered to draft an advocacy letter for the board.
Superintendent David Foss told the Marlington Local School District board on March 13 that proposed state budget changes and other legislation could significantly reduce state funding for the district and that administrators are preparing fiscal contingency plans.
Foss identified three bills he said could affect district finances: the governor’s biennium budget proposal (House Bill 96), Senate Bill 116 (which he said would reduce how pipelines are assessed for school funding), and Senate Bill 66 (changes to the 20-mill floor). He said a county-level projection recently showed Marlington facing roughly a 5% cut under the governor’s proposal and that the district is exploring about $500,000 in additional reductions to maintain the status quo.
“We basically have to come up with how do we make another round of fiscally responsible cuts at the tune of a half a million dollars to be able to keep us where we're at for another year,” Foss said. He warned that deep reductions ultimately affect people and programs: “The only way I'm gonna cut $7,000,000 is to cut people,” he said in broader remarks about how districts manage large reductions.
Board member Kathy Krupko summarized material she had seen from Ohio School Boards Association and a recent energy webinar and urged the board to consider advocacy. “At some point… we need to really have Bob and Dan formulate a letter on behalf of the board and let our legislators know how these brilliant ideas that they come up with are actually impacting our kids and the education that we're able to provide for them,” Krupko said.
Foss told the board he would draft an advocacy letter and circulate it for approval: “I will happily draft a letter. I will share it with the board. You bless it, then we'll happily have that sent out,” he said.
Foss also described local revenue factors that figure into the state funding formula, including property-valuation changes and enrollment trends; he said Marlington had been on the state “guarantee” in prior years and that the new proposal would remove that protection. He urged the board to be prepared for changes to the district’s five-year forecast.
Ending: With potential state action pending, district leaders told the board they will continue work on budget scenarios and an advocacy letter to legislators; board members indicated willingness to review a draft in coming weeks.
