Huber Heights superintendent Jason Enix said it has been almost 20 years since the last time the district asked for and got approval for a new operating levy, which is money that would go toward general operations of the district — items like keeping the lights on in the buildings, paying teachers, and other everyday funds.
“ESSER funds have been a big help recently, but with a lot of factors we have been able to continue moving forward in our current financial situation without a levy,” Enix said, referring to the federal COVID-19 dollars known as Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief. “We knew this was going to be an option to consider and with the new five year forecast it is an opportunity to maintain our current level of options.”
Enix said the ESSER funding helped the district avoid deficit spending through this year. ESSER funding ended in January.
In 2023, voters rejected an 8.12-mill operating levy, with 33.1% of votes in favor and 66.9% against.
This school year will be the first year that the district is projected to be in deficit spending. The district expects to spend $611,899 more than the district expects to bring in, according to the district’s five-year forecast submitted in November.
If the district continues to spend at current levels, by the 2028-2029 school year the district expects to spend more than $18 million over revenue.
However, the five-year forecast does not anticipate the district running through its cash balance. Districts are allowed to keep excess funding but are not required to keep a specific cash balance. It’s generally recommended schools keep 30 to 60 days of cash on hand to cover any unexpected expenses. Huber Heights has a policy of keeping four months of cash on hand.
Huber Heights has one of the highest cash balances in the area, with 84% of the yearly budget in the bank, a Dayton Daily News analysis found in August.
Penny Rucker, the Huber Heights treasurer, said there was no way the district could spend through its cash balance at current rates of spending and be able to turn it around and be fiscally responsible.
“We would have so much overspending that we couldn’t pass a levy large enough to maintain that spending and we couldn’t cut enough to reduce that much spending,” Rucker said.
Enix said the board has put an emphasis on fiscal responsibility after severe cuts in 2014. The district worked to get financial stability back, he said, and passing a levy would keep them on that path.
He noted in 2023, the state budget increased the district’s funding to an extent that, along with federal COVID-19 funding, made it possible for them to keep going without asking for a new levy.
“Every time I hear the word levy, I kinda get a knot in my stomach,” said board member Kelly Bledsoe during a December meeting. “I’m finishing up my 15th year, and we’ve never had one. But facts are facts, and numbers indicate — I believe this is warranted.”
During the January meeting, Bledsoe noted that a significant amount of the district’s finances come from the state government.
The district has been planning for and discussing cuts if the levy does not pass, but the plans have not yet been voted on. The board plans to hold a special board meeting Feb. 6 to discuss options and vote on Feb. 13.
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