Franklin’s Board of Education in January voted to place an emergency five-year, 6.301-mill property tax levy on the May 6 ballot that would raise $4,519,279 annually to fund district operating costs.
If approved, the levy would cost homeowners $220.54 a year for each $100,000 of appraised home value. For the average home in the district, it would cost $479.71, according to a levy fact sheet.
“We work very hard to be fiscally conservative,” said Sander, adding that it has been 11 years since Franklin City Schools last had a new-money levy pass for daily operating costs, making good on the district’s promise that the 2014 levy would last eight to 10 years.
The district outlined $1.2 million in cuts for the 2025-26 academic year that will be implemented if the May levy is not approved. They include eliminating all-day kindergarten, reducing busing to state minimum levels with no high school transportation, as well as implementing higher school fees and larger class sizes.
Pay-to-participate fees also would increase from $50 for each activity for high school and junior high students with a $100 student cap and $200 family cap, to $350 for high school students and $250 for junior high students for each activity with no individual or family caps.
In addition to the upcoming town hall sessions, the district has been helping raise awareness about school finances through its “Finance Friday” posts on social media. Hawley also has made budget presentations during recent monthly board meetings.
Compared to similar districts, other districts in Warren County and the statewide average, Franklin spends less on administrators per pupil, Hawley said during the board’s meeting last week, citing Ohio Department of Education district profile reports from fiscal year 2024.
“We serve more students with fewer administrators than similar districts and the statewide average,” he said.
In Franklin Schools, 24% of its student population requires special education, compared to 13% to 14% for the rest of the districts in the county, a number nearly double, Hawley said.
“We obviously take care of all of our kids; we want to do a really good job at it. The reality, at the same time, is that adds cost. Proportionately, those students have higher cost(s),” he said.
The largest expenditure is staff, with 77% of general operating funds going toward employee compensation. Teacher pay is based on salary schedules that factor in experience and level of college degree, Hawley said.
However, Franklin City Schools spends proportionately less on staff costs than similar districts and more than $316,000 less than the state average, according to district profile reports, Hawley said.
Over the last three years, the board has taken steps to reduce expenses, including a 10% reduction of the district’s teaching staff, or 20 fewer teachers.
Sander said this was due in part to junior high school scheduling changes and the consolidation of elementary schools.
“Our tenured teachers, they chose to stay here, and we are below average in our pay scale. I think that speaks volumes of the dedication that we have of our staff here and our team,” board member Lori Raleigh said.
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