Centerville City leaders outline budget shortfall, staffing cuts and a proposed 3.9 levy ahead of November vote

John Wesley, superintendent of Centerville City Schools, told residents at a community forum that the district faces a multi-year gap between revenue and expenses and is asking voters to approve a proposed 3.9 levy in November to avoid further cuts.

Wesley, who opened the meeting by introducing central-office staff and school-board members, said the district is "required to educate every student who walks through our buildings" and listed state- and federally-mandated programs—special education, dyslexia screening, college-credit–plus and gifted identification—as obligations that drive operating costs. He said the district serves roughly 8,220 pre-K–12 students in 13 buildings and that the average building age is about 60 years (one is 101), increasing maintenance pressures.

Treasurer Laura Salford said Centerville receives about 13% of its general-fund revenue from the state funding formula, roughly 77% from voted levies and about 7% from rollback and homestead reimbursements. "The voted levies make up the majority of our operating revenue," Salford said, and she cited House Bill 920 as the law that effectively freezes the levy dollar amount, meaning local levy revenue does not automatically grow with property revaluations.

Salford said the district's five-year forecast—filed twice yearly with the Ohio Department of Education—currently projects expenses outpacing revenue over the next five years. She reported Fiscal Year 2024 ended marginally better than anticipated largely for two one-time reasons: about $1,000,000 less in expenses than budgeted and about $1,000,000 more in investment income. "Those things helped us to end the year with a balanced budget for 2024," she said, but added these gains are not guaranteed going forward.

Wesley reviewed cost-saving steps already taken after recent levy defeats: the district began the school year with 48 fewer positions (17 teaching positions and 31 support staff) and is down 65 positions since 2019. He said the board approved a phased reduction plan in January and approved an additional proposed reduction plan in early September that would be implemented only if the November levy fails. The board also approved a two-year agreement with the Centerville Classroom Teachers Association that includes a 0% base-salary increase for two years and a 1% non-recurring stipend capped at $1,000.

Wesley said the levy proceeds would not be dedicated to a single program but would support the overall operation and help prevent further reductions that could affect class sizes, support services (counselors, nurses, psychologists) and extracurricular programs. He urged residents to consult the district’s online levy information page and noted upcoming community forums on Sept. 24 at Weller Elementary and Oct. 10 at Dresswell Elementary.

The forum concluded with Wesley opening the floor to questions and asking attendees to limit speaking time to three minutes so more residents could be heard. The board will consider finalized forecast numbers at upcoming meetings and the levy will appear on the November ballot; if it fails, officials said the next local opportunity for additional operating revenue would not occur until calendar year 2026.