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Treasurer briefs board: roughly $12M in federal grants; temporary federal pause does not affect main formula grants
Summary
Treasurer Miss Sortino told the board the district has about $12 million in federal grants (Title I, IDEA, Title II-A, Title IV-A, special education and others), has drawn roughly $3.5 million so far, and is monitoring a temporary federal pause on applications; recent OhioED guidance said formula grants are not affected.
At the Jan. 28 board meeting, Treasurer Miss Sortino gave a detailed overview of the district’s federal funding and local tax valuations and answered board questions about how a recent federal pause on grant applications could affect district operations.
Miss Sortino said the district’s portfolio totals about $12,000,000 in formula and competitive federal grants, including Title I, IDEA (special education), Title II-A (supporting effective instruction), Title IV-A and 21st Century and McKinney-Vento programs. She said the district has received approximately $3,500,000 to date in drawdowns and noted roughly $445,000 of district expenditures have not yet been submitted for reimbursement to the Ohio Department of Education and Workforce.
On timing and process, Miss Sortino explained that the district submits project cash requests as expenditures occur and receives reimbursement; she said current guidance from OhioED (issued about 5:15 p.m. the same day) indicates the temporary federal pause does not impact formula grants such as Title I and IDEA. "The US Department of Education has confirmed that the temporary pause does not impact Title I, IDEA, and other formula grants," she said.
Miss Sortino also reviewed county valuations for calendar year 2025 (approximately $423 million, a roughly 4% increase over 2024), with public utility personal property cited as the main driver (roughly a 17% increase). She presented comparative millage figures for residential/agriculture (41.78 to 41.28 mills), industrial (47.5 to 47.11) and public utility (59.85 to 59.35), noting inside millage remains at 4.7 mills.
Board members had no immediate questions about the treasurer’s numbers and later approved a set of routine finance items—including transfer of funds to support a mobile food pantry and the district tax rates for 2025—by roll-call vote during the consent portion of the meeting.
The board’s finance advisory also referenced a temporary federal court action that briefly blocked the federal-grant freeze; the treasurer and advisory said they would monitor further guidance and update the board as needed.
