ENGLEWOOD — A major repercussion from the failure of the Northmont School District’s levy on the May 2 ballot resulted in the school board voting unanimously May 8 during a special meeting to close Englewood Elementary at the conclusion of the current school year.

One of the district’s five elementary schools, the school board said closing the school would help offset the shortfall in state funding the district faces next year.

The 7.82-mill levy would have provided $5.8 million per year for its 10 year life cycle.

Englewood Elementary students will be divided between Union Elementary and Englewood Hills.

The board had anticipated increased funding from the state, but due to last year’s Ohio House Bill 920, Northmont will be facing a large financial shortfall.

“We’re sorry we‘re in the position we are in, but the issues to balance our books have not gone away,” said Linda Blum, board president. With the defeat of the levy, we absolutely have to look at every single thing again. And now that we know what the results are, obviously, we have to talk about how are we going to get more revenue.

“Is it going to be done all through cuts? Is it to be asking voters again through another issue? We don’t know. We’re going to have this discussion — we haven’t been there yet,” Blum added.

One parent, Josh Parry, whose family moved to this district three years ago, did comment to the board during the visitors portion of the meeting held at the Kleptz Early Learning Center, prior to the vote to close Englewood Elementary.

Parry said he attended Northmont School Board meetings where only10 people have attended compared to the large number of people attending this one. He believed that should make it obvious that that parents are irritated

“We’re irritated that kids are now having to be shuffled off to schools where they don’t want to be,” Parry said, adding that he had hoped for better outcomes from the board.

“It’s an emotional thing,” said Superintendent Tony Thomas. “But, expenditures exceed income.”

Thomas called attention to a list of nine employee names appearing on the meeting’s agenda. Based on the outcome of the levy, the school needs to proceed with suspending contracts to decrease expenditures and to give those employees as much notification as possible.

“It’s important to the district and is our major reason for the meeting tonight — to notify and let people know there are opportunities for them elsewhere,” Thomas said.

He said 17 resignations already have been received since the board began talking about possible cuts. Those openings give the district some flexibility in laying off people.

“We’ll continue to analyze this and make some staffing decisions based on further resignations,” Thomas said. “We could have total projected savings of $2,153,774.”

The room was quiet following the meeting as parents and teachers gathered in small groups sharing hugs and tears at the news of the closing.

The next regular Northmont School Board meeting will be at 6 p.m. on Monday, May 15, at Northmoor Elementary, 4421 Old Salem Road, Englewood.