Perrysburg school leaders outline $4.5M–$6M reduction scenarios, set public roadshow and finance timeline

Superintendent (name not specified) and Treasurer Randy presented an updated fiscal forecast to the Perrysburg Exempted Village School District board and asked administrators to return prioritized reduction scenarios that would produce $4.5 million and $6 million in budget savings.

The superintendent said the district “did a very difficult job last year in cutting the first $6,000,000” and outlined a timeline for meetings with staff, administrators and community groups before a public board meeting later in the month. The treasurer described the updated August forecast and the assumptions behind it, including a projected 12% valuation increase for 2026 and a conservative estimate of enrollment (down about 100 students for the year).

The presentation framed the two reduction targets as distinct scenarios: $4.5 million would restore the district to an approximate 60 true‑cash‑day benchmark into fiscal 2027; a $6 million scenario was requested as a contingency to provide extra cushion in case revenues weaken. The treasurer warned that, without new revenue or further reductions, the district’s true cash days could fall sharply in later years.

Why it matters: school operations are driven largely by personnel costs, and the board heard that roughly 80% of expenses are salaries and benefits. Board members emphasized that deep reductions would affect student programs and services; administrators were instructed to prioritize compliance, safety and required services while identifying areas where discretionary reductions could be layered in.

Key figures and fiscal context presented to the board included: about 69% of district revenue from local sources and roughly 26% from the state; an $11,000,000 levy scenario that would hold current services but not restore previously eliminated staff or programs; an illustrative end‑of‑year projection of about 89 true cash days in the current year and about 45 true cash days next fiscal year under the baseline forecast; and a treasurer estimate that a $4.5 million reduction would move the district to roughly 60 true cash days in fiscal 2027. The treasurer also said specialized contracted special‑education services run about $3,000,000 annually.

Board discussion focused on the level of reductions to target and how to present them publicly. Board Member Bennington and others said they preferred seeing both the $4.5 million baseline and the $6 million contingency so the board could weigh tradeoffs. Members discussed whether some cuts should be reserved as a secondary tier (apply only if the baseline shortfall is larger than expected) and the practical effects of cascading reductions in later years.

Administrators described the approach they used to construct reduction options: starting from state minimums for required services (for example, high‑school graduation requirements and special‑education compliance), prioritizing safety and required services, and then identifying discretionary or enrichment items that could be reduced or eliminated. The superintendent and staff cautioned that even prioritized cuts of the sizes discussed would “impact the classroom” and reduce student opportunities.

The board set a near‑term public engagement schedule: staff will finalize a public presentation for an administrative review, then meet with union leadership and building administrators, hold a personnel committee meeting (not open to the public) to discuss personnel impacts, and run public roadshow meetings so community members can hear the proposed timeline and reductions before the board meeting where the forecast and permanent appropriations will be presented.

District officials repeatedly flagged outside risks that could materially change the forecast: possible changes to the state funding “floor,” pending property‑tax reform described in the meeting as a ballot initiative to eliminate some property taxes, and uncertainty about enrollment and state policy changes. The treasurer said the district’s forecast assumed existing law for the floor and that other outcomes would require reworking the numbers.

No formal board votes were recorded in the transcript of this discussion. The board indicated consensus to proceed with the timeline and asked staff and the treasurer to return updated materials that show the forecast and true‑cash‑day projections both without and with layered reductions of $4.5 million and $6 million.

What’s next: administrators will produce prioritized reduction lists and two fiscal scenarios for board review; the treasurer will present the August forecast and proposed permanent appropriations at the scheduled board meeting; and staff will run the public engagement schedule discussed in the meeting.