Lakota officials say state budget simulation could cut districtfunding; board plans advocacy and public briefings

Lakota Local Schools officials told the school board on Feb. 24 that an early simulation of the governor's budget and House Bill 96 would leave the district roughly $200,000 down across the two-year biennium while shifting funding components that could reduce the state's share over time.

The briefing came from district staff as part of the superintendent's financial update; Dr. Whiteley reported enrollment at 17,380 students, down 152 from the first day of school, and the district's leaders framed the budget numbers as preliminary and subject to change.

Why it matters: Board members said the proposal's combination of shifting add-ons into the main formula and growing voucher and community-school spending statewide would reduce the state's share of funding and may leave many districts with less operating revenue even as some line items appear larger on paper.

In the presentation, district staff said the governor's proposal initially shows a small increase in state funding for Lakota in fiscal 2026 ("just a little bit above $400,000," per the district) but then a larger reduction the following year, producing a net decline over the biennium in the district's simulation. The district described the overall net change as "just a little over dollars $200,000 down for Lakota," and noted the numbers will change as the budget language and simulations are refined.

Staff emphasized two mechanics that affect the result: the budget proposal models fiscal 2026 funding using older salary and costing inputs, and the state appears to be bundling add-on payments into the core formula rather than treating them as separate components. "If we're going to continue with the plan, we need to increase these funding components to be closer," a district staff member said, urging that base costs and add-ons must track together to show the formula's true impact.

Board members and staff also discussed statewide effects and the role of vouchers. The district cited analysis from the Ohio Education Policy Institute showing 56% of Ohio districts would see decreases in fiscal 2025-26 and 59% would see decreases in fiscal 2026-27 under the current simulation. District staff said vouchers and community-school funding are increasing significantly in the simulation and that vocational and charter funding show large biennial gains.

The board and staff highlighted the district's local figures for one voucher program: the EdChoice expansion voucher component alone was reported at 2,025 students in Lakota. Staff said the voucher-user population's demographics differ from the district average (the district is about 32% low income overall; 8.7% of those reported using the EdChoice expansion voucher were low income, per the district's data for that component).

What the board directed: Trustees and staff agreed to pursue outreach and advocacy now rather than wait until the budget is final. The superintendent and local association planners said they will schedule a detailed briefing on vouchers and the budget for either a work session or a future board meeting and prepare a short, shareable toolkit families can use to contact legislators.

Board members asked staff to obtain more precise EMIS and state data to identify how many students leave the district for voucher or community school options so the district can present clearer local impacts to legislators and families.

The board heard several members describing the budget shift as the culmination of legislation and policy changes over the prior year; trustees asked the administration to coordinate with state school associations and local parent advocates to collect stories and data for lawmakers.

Ending: District staff cautioned that the numbers are early and will change as the legislature and governor finalize budget language. The board scheduled staff follow-ups and a community briefing to give families fact-based information about how the proposed changes could affect Lakota funding.