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Board approves March financials and certifies 2025 tax rates; treasurer cites special‑education and legal cost increases
Summary
The board approved March financial reports and a tax‑rate resolution; Treasurer Philip Oko said purchases services for health, legal and special‑education have risen and explained that a bond millage will drop off the tax base in 2026.
The Garfield Heights Board of Education approved the district's March financial statements and certified tax rates on April 14, and Treasurer Philip Oko told the board the district is seeing higher expenditures in purchase services driven in part by special‑education and legal costs.
Mr. Philip Oko, treasurer, said the district is approaching the end of the fiscal year and noted property‑tax collections are higher in recent reporting "that is a county issue that we are working through." He pointed to major expenditure variances in "purchase services, specifically around health services, legal, and special ed costs," and said one driver is students moving into the district with active IEPs from other districts. "...these kiddos are coming to us from outside districts, who have been over identified, so Cleveland is a big, perpetrator of this, where those students will move in the district, have the IEPs written with all the services given, and we have to comply with that by law," Oko said.
On the tax rate resolution (Resolution 25‑2025‑16), Oko said four key items affect the certified rates: the district's bond millage is ending (the building bond passed in 2001 is nearing payoff and will fully drop off the tax base when the district makes its last bond payment in fiscal 2026), emergency levies that are up for renewal were not included for 2026 collections, and the district requested the county adjust millage collections to match what voters approved on the recent evaluation increase. "First 1 our bond millage comes off ... we'll make our last bond payments in fiscal 26, which means, about 9 mills will drop off the tax base for Garfield Heights," Oko said.
The board moved to approve the March financials (motion moved by Miss Morrison and seconded by Miss Thomas) and adopted the tax‑rate resolution (motion moved by Missus Daniels and seconded by Miss Cox). Both measures passed on recorded roll calls.
During public participation, Joanie Wunderstock, a resident, commented on the board's recognition of the Michael Davis scholarship and praised members of the community and longstanding staff such as Marlene Remish for their work in the district; she said the scholarship and recognition "mean a great deal" to the family and community.
Other routine procedural votes at the meeting included adoption of the agenda, approval of minutes from March 10 and March 17, motions to waive the reading of several agenda blocks, and a motion to accept first readings of policies (see "Votes at a glance" below).
