“Right now, we’re looking at some modeling that shows (an option of a) traditional property tax, but we’re also exploring the potential for an earned income tax for the school district,” Board President Allison Durnbaugh told Dayton Daily News. “All of that is just in discussions right now. No decision needs to be made until late July on that.”
About 77% of the district’s funding comes from taxes from local levies because it doesn’t receive as much from the state and federal government as other districts, Treasurer Laura Sauber said.
With property values going up, the school district will get more tax revenue, but taxes do not rise nearly the same percentage as values do, because of a 1970s Ohio law.
Durnbaugh said the district will offer two upcoming community forums that will be similar to the one used earlier this year. One forum is scheduled for 6 p.m. July 10 at Cline Elementary Auditorium and the other at 6 p.m. July 16 at Centerville High School’s Central Theatre.
The district also will offer a series of more informal gatherings during mornings and evenings on Thursdays, which may include Wesney and one or two members of the Centerville’s central office staff. Two of those are set for 5 p.m. July 11 at Weller Elementary and 8 a.m. July 12 at John Hole Elementary.
Informal meetings also are planned for July 18, 19, 24 and 25, but locations for each are yet to be determined, Durnbaugh said.
“We’re trying to vary the times (and) vary locations to capture as much of the community as we can,” she said. “The Thursday ones we hope to be a part of more more ongoing program that is still kind of in the works and isn’t fully developed, but we’re hoping to keep that as an ongoing thing.”
Durnbaugh said school board members are encouraging people to attend the forums and meetings, share their thoughts and learn about the different options.
On Monday, the school board continued to carry out a reduction plan for the 2024-25 school year approved Jan. 22 by voting unanimously to lay off six clerical aids.
The first phase of the plan was set to be carried out regardless of the result of the March levy. A second phase was only set to happen if voters rejected the levy, which they did.
The board reexamined the matter after the levy rejection and decided it needed to further eliminate staff.
“The vote ... was really just to implement the final piece of the reduction plan that was originally voted on in January,” Durnbaugh said. “It wasn’t anything new. It was just implementing that final reduction plan due to the levy failure in March.”
The reduction in force has included 48 positions,she said. Most of them came via retirements or resignations, but six of them had to occur via the layoffs the board approved Monday, Durnbaugh said.
The staffing cuts will mean some changes for the district in the 2024-25 school year, she said.
“There will be some effect to some of the class sizes,” Durnbaugh said. “We see a bump in enrollment over the summer, so we really don’t know how that’s playing out just yet.”
About the Author
