Toledo City school board rebukes proposed state budget changes, adopts five‑year forecast showing major shortfalls

The Toledo City School District Board of Education on Tuesday passed three unanimous measures opposing elements of the proposed state budget and adopted an updated five‑year financial forecast that warns of steep cuts if the state does not fully implement the Fair School Funding Plan.

The board approved a resolution commemorating the 70th anniversary of Brown v. Board of Education, then unanimously adopted a resolution supporting the Ohio Fair School Funding Plan and rejecting the version of the biennial budget in House Bill 96 that would eliminate the plan's final phase and redirect hundreds of millions to private-school vouchers. The board also adopted a separate resolution opposing a 30% cap on district carryover balances proposed in the same bill.

District finance staff presented the forecast underlying the board's action. "Our revenue is changing by roughly about $14,000,000 to the negative," the district finance presenter said while summarizing assumptions modeled on the House version of the budget. He told the board that the district currently holds about $48,000,000 in carryover but that the combination of the proposed state changes and existing cost pressures could drive carryover toward zero within five years.

Board members framed the resolutions as an effort to protect classroom services. "Cutting the final phase will not only undermine our students' future, but redirect billions of dollars away from public schools," one member said during debate. Speakers cited the resolution text estimating that elimination of the final phase could remove an estimated $2,750,000,000 from public schools statewide and divert roughly $2,400,000,000 toward private‑school vouchers.

Trustees pressed staff for local financial impact figures. Finance staff said modeling showed Toledo City would likely lose about $13 million to $15 million directly under the proposed changes; when combined with previously identified reductions and required savings, board leadership said the district faces roughly $30,000,000 in adjustments over the forecast period.

The board stressed that the resolutions are a policy stance and a call for community engagement: members urged parents and residents to contact state legislators and said the district's lobbyists and staff will continue to seek amendments to protect Toledo's programs and career‑tech funding.

The board approved the five‑year forecast and the three resolutions by roll call. The forecast approval and the resolutions were procedural votes with no amendments recorded at the meeting. The board said staff will return with further detail on cost‑savings options and with updates once the state senate releases its budget version.

Next steps: the board instructed staff to monitor the state budget process closely and prepare additional financial scenarios for the finance committee and the public.