August 11, 2020 -- The CH-UH Board of Education approved the second reading of the proposed 4.8-mill November 2020 additional operating levy language at its July 28 special meeting. At the direction of the Board, the District Treasurer filed the necessary paperwork with the Cuyahoga County Board of Elections and the levy is now slated to be on the November 2020 ballot.
"The decision to ask our community for a levy in November was not an easy one," said CH-UH Board of Education President Jodi Sourini. "We understand that many Heights residents are facing economic instability right now. But after a levy failure earlier this year, a freeze in state funding, and on top of it all a global pandemic, our District is in a dire financial spot.”
“This levy will generate the minimum funds needed to educate our children in whatever environments we find ourselves in throughout the coming school year,” continued Sourini.
The 4.8-mill levy would cost a homeowner approximately $168 a year, or $14 a month, per $100,000 in home value.Devastating financial losses
Due to new EdChoice voucher legislation signed into law in March of 2020, the District anticipates losing a minimum of an additional $1.7 million this fiscal year, bringing the total estimated EdChoice-related loss to at least $9.2 million. The District had previously expected, and budgeted for, a $7.5 million loss.
“We cut 20 positions in April of 2020 and made significant cuts in each department’s budget - nearly $2.5 million in total reductions - in order to make up for this shortfall. Future cuts will run much deeper if this levy does not pass in November,” said CH-UH Schools Superintendent Elizabeth Kirby.
When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, the State of Ohio cut the District’s funds by $1.4 million annually. Federal CARES relief has already been utilized to offset those state funding cuts in the 2019-2020 school year. An additional $312,000 in CARES funding is expected for 2020-2021.Future projections
Although the District previously committed to $750,000 in annual budget cuts over the next several years, it will commit to $2 million in spending reductions for the 2021-2022 school year. The District faces a $9 million deficit in the 2021-2022 school year if the levy doesn’t pass, according to the Five-Year Forecast.
The need for a new operating levy was solidified after the Board reviewed the citizen-led Lay Finance Committee report delivered by the committee member Ryan Routh at the July 7 Board of Education meeting.
“Our committee has carefully reviewed the financial projections for the CH-UH School District,” said Routh. “We believe that an additional, two-year operating levy of 4.8 mills is the minimum amount needed to sufficiently cover the costs to operate the District. Although the Board has concerns about asking the community for a levy, they simply cannot wait,” continued Routh.
The first levy reading took place at the July 21 Board of Education meeting. Sourini has promised the community that the District will not take more than it needs.
"If it comes to pass that we do not need all of the monies generated by the levy, we will take action to halt tax collection from the community,” said Sourini.