Public urges Orange School Board to mobilize against proposed Ohio budget veto overrides

Kelly Goshi, an Orange resident, told the board the district’s parents and community had mobilized repeatedly this spring and summer to oppose budget measures she said would ‘‘gut the fiscal autonomy of the school district.’’ She urged continued advocacy ahead of a July 21 House vote to override several of the governor’s line-item vetoes.

Another resident, Ano Tuniu, summarized specific line items the board had discussed and said item 55 would give county budget commissions greater power to reduce a voter-approved levy, item 65 would weaken a district’s ability to keep up with rising costs, and item 66 would remove tools districts use to fill funding shortfalls. ‘‘We urge you to encourage all of our community to call their legislators,’’ he said.

Why it matters: Board members said the proposed overrides could return provisions the governor vetoed and would potentially limit local control over school finances. The treasurer later told the board the district received a strong July tax advance (about $5.1 million to the general fund), but board members said legislative uncertainty means continued community pressure is important to preserve local budgeting tools.

Board response and next steps: Several board members thanked residents for contacting elected officials and pledged to continue informing the community. The presiding officer and superintendent noted the board would include related communications in upcoming outreach and encouraged residents to contact legislators. The board did not take a formal policy vote on the override itself during the meeting.

What remains unresolved: The outcome of the July 21 vote was not recorded in the meeting. The board and commenters identified the specific line items by number (55, 65 and 66) but did not present legal text in the meeting.