ENGLEWOOD — Northmont City Schools district voters had only one decision to make on the May 2 election ballot.
To the disappointment of the Northmont School Board members, that decision was “no,” with a final tally of 2907 to 2134, taking down the 7.82-mill issue that would have provided $5.8 million dollars per year for 10 years.
A statement from the Northmont Board of Education provided to the Register-Herald following last Tuesday’s defeat said, “Northmont will continue to lean into our mission statement and offer our students as many opportunities for success as cuts allow.”
“We also encourage voters to reach out to their representatives to insist on changes to school funding in the state of Ohio,” Superintendent Tony Thomas said.
“I am so disappointed,” said Board President Linda Blum. “We are all about opportunities and experiences for our students and I fear this loss will limit those.”
Thomas concurred.
“This is gut-wrenching, as we have worked so hard to provide an elite education system, because we believe in our mission and we believe in our staff and students,” Thomas said. “The results from last night force us to be prepared for cuts in response to the fact that we are spending more than we are receiving in revenues.”
“It is heartbreaking because we do not want to cut services to our students and we want to protect home values in our community,” he said.
At a school board meeting late last year, Treasurer Ann Ferraro said Ohio House Bill 120 would affect school funding.
“Public money will not increase because of that law,” Ferraro said at the time.
Also at that time, Thomas said that if new state revenue does not become available, there could be $2 million in cuts that could include closing Englewood Elementary, cutting 29 positions, to teaching and certified personnel and to support staff that would include classified, non-classified and administration positions.
“There could be no school-sponsored field trips, double participation fees, double App fees and building and department budgets cut another 3 percent on top of 5 percent this year,” Thomas said.
Upon learning that the levy had failed, the board held a special meeting at 6 p.m. on Monday, May 8, at the Kleptz Early Learning Center, 1100 National Road, Englewood.
The purpose of the meeting was to consider Thomas’s proposal to close Englewood Elementary, as well as a personnel agenda item to consider the list of suspensions of contracts as well as reduction in force.
The May 8 meeting was to replaces the previously scheduled May 15 monthly meeting.
