Marysville Exempted Village schools warn May 6 levy needed to avoid staff, program cuts after preschool costs shift

Marysville Exempted Village Superintendent Diane Allen and district staff told residents the district faces a sustained budget shortfall and is asking voters to approve a 5.5-mill emergency operating levy on May 6 to avoid further cuts to staff and student programs.

The levy, the district says, is projected in its forecast to generate about $6,800,000 annually and would offset an average annual deficit the district estimates at roughly $9,000,000. "We're asking the community to consider a 5.5-mill emergency operating levy on Tuesday, May 6," Diane Allen, superintendent, said. "That would generate for us $6,800,000 annually in our forecast."

Why it matters: the district told the meeting the shortfall results from the long-term phase-out of tangible personal property (TPP) funding, a low local revenue base relative to other Ohio districts, a possible reduction in state support under the next biennial budget and a recently announced transfer of preschool costs from the Union County Board of Developmental Disabilities to the school district.

District staff said TPP funding peaked in about 2005 at more than $9,000,000 a year and has been phased out; this school year will be the last to include a small remaining TPP payment (the district estimated roughly $450,000). A district staff member identified as Todd described the projected impact of the governor’s initial biennial proposal, saying the district could lose more than $200,000 per year under that proposal compared with an earlier forecast that assumed $250,000 per year in increases.

The district also said it expects an unexpected preschool expense of about $3,000,000 per year. Allen said the Union County Board of Developmental Disabilities passed a levy in November 2024 that did not fully cover preschool costs, and the county’s balancing decisions will move preschool responsibility and its associated costs onto the district. "That preschool program is going to be pushed from the UCBDD onto Marysville schools," Allen said. "It looks to be an increased cost of about $3,000,000 per year that will be pushed onto the district." The district said a meeting was scheduled the following Wednesday to discuss details.

Program and personnel consequences: district officials outlined what would change if the May 6 levy is not approved. The board previously voted to implement a contingency reduction of 30 positions after the May 2023 levy failure; the district said another 30 positions would be reduced under the next stage of cuts if the May 6 levy fails. Todd said the board of education already "voted to reduce 30 staff members according to our contingency plan."

Administrators described specific curriculum and extracurricular reductions that would follow a failed levy: in K–4, physical education would drop from a weekly rotation to once a month, library would remain weekly but music and art would be provided only as brief experiences up to three times a year and elementary technology/keyboarding instruction would be eliminated. At the intermediate and middle school levels the district said engineering-pathway offerings (automation and robotics, design modeling, fab lab) and some language classes would be cut; at the high school level multiple Advanced Placement courses and hands-on career/technical classes (including the fab lab) could be eliminated, and any course with projected enrollment of 20 or fewer students would likely be canceled.

The district quantified its funding and staffing position: officials said about 89% of operating expenditures are for staff and benefits, roughly 2% for supplies and materials and about 8% for purchased services. The district reported its revenue per pupil is nearly $5,000 below the state average and said Marysville currently ranks among the lowest in the county and state on revenue- and expenditure-per-pupil measures. Officials said the current student-to-teacher ratio is about 26:1, compared with a state average near 20:1, and noted that further staff cuts would raise that ratio even higher.

Background and prior votes: officials reviewed recent levy history. A May 2023 operating levy (8.4 mills) failed. The district returned to voters in November 2024 with a smaller, 5.5-mill request; the May 6, 2025 election is the next scheduled vote on the operating levy. District leaders said they have avoided placing new operating levies frequently by using continuing levies passed in 2013 and 2018 for some funding needs, and by moving bond millage into permanent improvement funds in 2018 to support buildings and buses without raising taxes.

Public information and next steps: Allen said the May 6 levy was already set and could not be changed to reflect the newly announced preschool expense because the request had been submitted. She noted a tax estimate: about $16 per month for each $100,000 of home value (for example, a $300,000 home would pay about $48 per month by that calculation) and said a tax calculator is available on the district website. The district scheduled two open office hours for public questions on April 8 and April 14 and encouraged residents to contact the district by phone or email for more information.

The district emphasized academic performance alongside the budget discussion: Allen noted the district is rated four stars in Ohio’s five-star system and that the district’s graduation rate is five stars; she said Marysville students earned more than 3,200 college credits last year and that remediation rates for college-entering students have fallen from about 43% to under 10% over more than a decade.

The board and district staff said grant-seeking, energy savings and partnerships with local employers are ongoing strategies but stressed that people costs dominate the budget and that meaningful cuts typically require staffing reductions.

Questions and follow-up: district staff said they would meet with community members at the posted office hours and respond to emailed or phoned questions. The district said additional details about the preschool transfer would be discussed in the upcoming county meeting and that projected impacts on next year’s course offerings also depend on final enrollment numbers submitted during the class-selection process.