Parma City Schools superintendent urges voters to back 10-year operating levy, warns reserve will fall below policy without new revenue

Dr. Hun, superintendent of Parma City Schools, told a packed town-hall that the district’s overall report card rose to four stars and that an operating levy on the November ballot is necessary because federal and state funding has dropped and the district’s cash reserves are forecast to fall below board policy.

The superintendent led the presentation by summarizing the district report card, noting a move from 3.5 to 4 stars overall with 5 stars in gap closing and strong career-technical program ratings. He then turned to finances, saying the district is seeking a 10-year, fixed-sum operating levy of $23,000,000 and that “we keep asking because we haven't passed one since 2011.”

Why it matters: Dr. Hun said the district’s five-year forecast shows days of cash declining from an updated 108 days in 2025 to a projected 48 days in 2027 — below the board’s cash-balance-reserve policy of 60 days. He warned that falling below the policy could trigger state oversight, including formal statuses such as “caution, watch, or emergency,” and in an extreme case a state-appointed commission that would supersede the board’s authority.

Federal and state funding reductions: The superintendent outlined federal grant programs that support instruction and services — Title I-A, Title II-A, Title III, Title IV-A, IDEA-B, IDEA early childhood and Carl D. Perkins — and said combined allocations with carryovers totaled about $9.8 million last year and are estimated at roughly $8.5 million this year, a drop of about $1.3 million. He also described the district’s required set-aside for nonpublic schools and listed approximate nonpublic allocations cited in his remarks: Title I-A about $390,000; Title II-A about $70,000; Title III about $5,700; Title IV-A about $73,000; IDEA-B about $191,000. He said those amounts and other funding losses reduce dollars available for district operations.

Reserve policy and forecast: The board’s policy was read aloud by the superintendent: the district “affirms that tax levies shall be pursued and or the district’s finances otherwise managed to ensure a general fund cash reserve balance equivalent to 60 days of last fiscal year’s operating expenses.” He emphasized that the five-year forecast is a projection, not the adopted budget, and described the forecasted decline including scenarios that show negative balances by later years if no new revenue is secured.

Staffing and spending: Dr. Hun addressed a circulating figure that 88% of spending goes to staff by explaining the difference between an earlier estimate and the actual numbers. He said last year’s total expenditures were about $162 million and salary-and-benefit costs were roughly $135 million, or about 83.3% of expenditures. He noted career-technical (CTE) staffing accounted for about $4.8 million of salary and benefits (roughly 3.5% of total salary/benefit expenditures) and that comprehensive in-district CTE programming serves many more students than regional centers would. He said typical districts spend 78–80% of their budgets on staffing and that 83% “is not out of line” given the district’s programming.

Levy mechanics and taxes: The superintendent and the district treasurer explained that property revaluations do not translate into proportional increases for levies that are fixed sums. The treasurer said roughly two-thirds of a property tax bill goes to the schools and that higher assessed valuation does not raise the dollar amount of existing levies under state law; instead the district received an approximately $3.4 million increase this fiscal year from valuation changes, not the full percentage shown in a taxpayer’s bill.

Questions from the public: Speakers pressed for details on closed-school proceeds, early-literacy ratings, enrollment decline, benefits and pension costs, and how the district would respond if the levy fails. The superintendent said consolidation savings go back to the general fund and cited a ballpark figure — which he asked to verify — that consolidation around Parma Senior High produced roughly $3.5 million in savings. On early literacy he clarified the state component measures proficiency, growth and fourth-grade promotion and said the district was about one percentage point below the state proficiency figure; he said principals and curriculum staff are focused on improvement. On the subject of potential cuts if the levy fails, Dr. Hun said the district would review staffing and other options and offered a hypothetical: “Let’s just pretend teachers cost a $100,000 salary and benefits. If we're down $5,000,000, that's 50 people.”

Other operational details: The superintendent said the district has a team working on a three-, five- and 10-year facilities-maintenance plan and noted permanent improvement funds are limited. He also said Cuyahoga County was returning a one-time refund to the district of about $1.4 million and that the district has a volunteer steering committee working on levy outreach (parmalevy.com was shared as a resource).

Voices from the audience: A parent of students receiving special education services described positive experiences with IEP teachers and interventions, saying, “These teachers really do try,” and urged recognition of classroom staff efforts. Several residents pushed for additional clarity on benefit costs and pension contributions; the superintendent and treasurer described an 18% premium increase this year for the district’s medical plan, employee premium contribution ranges (about 10–15% for typical plans), and noted the teachers’ retirement contribution structure the audience cited as 14% employer and 14% employee for some plans.

What’s next: The levy is on the November ballot as an operational measure. The superintendent said if voters approve it, it would be a 10-year emergency levy and the district would not return to voters for 8–10 years. If the levy fails, district leaders said they will reassess the forecast and consider adjustments, including staffing, to maintain operations and compliance with state requirements.

Ending: The town-hall concluded after an extended Q&A; the superintendent encouraged continued community engagement and pointed attendees to the district’s levy website for more information.