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Treasurer warns Marysville schools face state funding drop and high student–teacher ratios
Summary
The district treasurer reported Feb. 20 that Marysville’s revenue per pupil remains well below the state average and that proposed changes to the state funding formula could reduce state payments by roughly $414,000 over two years, compounding local budget pressure.
The Marysville Exempted Village School District treasurer told the board Feb. 20 that fiscal 2024 revenue per pupil for the district was $13,385 versus a state average of about $18,000, placing the district among the state’s lower-funded districts. The treasurer said new state budget simulations show a potential reduction of roughly $226,000 in fiscal 2026 and another $189,000 in fiscal 2027 under the governor’s proposal, a $414,000 decline compared with the current year; when measured against the district’s forecast assumptions the treasurer said the shortfall could approach $900,000 by fiscal 2027.
The treasurer added that one mill in the district generates a little more than $1 million in revenue, putting the potential reductions into taxpayer context. Board members and the treasurer also discussed factors that produced the projected declines, including a state update to “local capacity” numbers (reflecting property reappraisals and income changes) without corresponding updates to base cost inputs used in the state formula.
The treasurer reported the district’s student–teacher ratio rose to about 26 students per teacher in fiscal 2024, compared with a state average near 20, placing Marysville among the districts with the highest student–teacher ratios in Ohio. The treasurer said Marysville’s ratio made the district the fifth-highest student–teacher ratio in the state and warned that the contingency staffing reductions under a levy-failure plan would raise that ratio further.
On expenditures, the treasurer said Marysville’s per-pupil spending in fiscal 2024 was about $13,006 versus a state average of roughly $16,003. The district’s administrative spending per pupil was lower than the state average, the treasurer said, and the district’s performance index remained above the state average (the treasurer reported a performance index of 94.5, which the treasurer called “top 17%” statewide), though recent small declines were noted.
The treasurer reviewed pending state legislative items that could affect funding, including the governor’s biennial budget proposal (referred to in the meeting as HB 96) and several other bills under discussion in the House and Senate. The treasurer urged board members to contact state legislators and noted the first versions of budget projections could change as the House and Senate prepare their versions.
Board action: the board approved the treasurer’s consent items and financial reports as presented during the meeting.
