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Cuyahoga Falls board outlines options after five‑year forecast shows roughly $4 million shortfall
Summary
The Cuyahoga Falls City School District board reviewed a five‑year forecast projecting an approximately $4 million deficit and discussed options including attrition-based staffing reductions, selling vacant properties in year three, adjusting open enrollment, and pursuing a levy or permanent improvement funding to stabilize finances.
The Cuyahoga Falls City School District Board of Education spent the bulk of its Aug. 14 meeting on a five‑year financial forecast that shows a likely operating deficit the district expects to address through a formal financial recovery plan.
"None of this is coming from a place of getting rid of any existing staff," the board president said, emphasizing the district's intent to use a deliberate, multimonth planning process rather than immediate layoffs. The treasurer/CFO told the board the May forecast showed the district "was at about $4,000,000 in the red," and laid out several options for the board to consider.
Officials discussed using natural attrition as a primary tool to reduce staffing costs over time, saying attrition would allow reductions in position counts without immediate layoffs. The treasurer noted the district has almost 520 open‑enrolled students and explained that eliminating open enrollment could reduce state funding by about $350,000 per year if all 520 students were lost, though because the district is on a state funding "guarantee" that effect would shift the baseline rather than create a compounding annual loss. Officials cautioned that some revenue tied to special education and gifted weightings would also be affected if the enrolled student mix changed.
The board also reviewed the status of district-owned properties that are expected to be vacated when the new building opens. Trustees said they intend to sell the high school and Roberts properties once fully vacant; the treasurer estimated any proceeds would most likely be realized in the third year of the forecast and recommended an executive session to discuss sale details. Board members outlined the statutory process: offer property first to qualifying community schools/charter operators, then proceed to auction and, if desired, a listing with a real estate agent. Trustees emphasized the board retains discretion to reject offers.
Levy options were floated as another principal remedy. The treasurer and several board members discussed pursuing a new‑money levy to cover operating shortfalls and/or a permanent improvement levy to shift capital expenses (air conditioning, roofs, buses, technology) off the general fund. The treasurer noted permanent improvement levies generally carry lower millage but are restricted to capital items.
Board members asked staff for follow‑up materials for the next meeting, including updated enrollment counts, projections of staffing costs under different attrition scenarios, and timing estimates for expected property sale receipts. The board set a schedule to continue this planning through the fall, noting the state will require a formal financial recovery plan if the November forecast again shows a negative balance.
What happens next: staff will provide updated enrollment and staffing projections for the board's next meeting; trustees said they will continue the discussion in public sessions before any formal votes on levies, closures or property sales.
