According to Northmont schools Treasurer Ann Ferraro, the emergency levy would cost roughly $16 per month for a home valued at $100,000. The Montgomery County Auditor’s Office confirmed the projected cost would be $192.50 annually per $100,000 in property value, with the levy coming in at 5.5 mills.
Northmont schools operated at a $1.6 million deficit in 2021-22 (spending more than they took in). The district’s most recent five-year forecast, from mid-May 2023, had them at $5.6 million in the red for 2022-23, dropping their cash balance to $22 million, or roughly one-third of a year’s expenses.
During Wednesday’s meeting, Ferraro shared an update regarding the state funding the district should anticipate receiving based on the state budget signed into law this week by Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine.
“We received word that the House version of the state budget is the one that the governor has signed, and of the three versions it was probably the most favorable to our district,” Ferraro said. “We are slated to receive $2.2 million (more than) what we received last year, so that is good news for us moving forward.”
Despite this increase, which would cover the next two years, Ferraro said the district is still projected to continue toward deficit spending.
“Looking through the five-year forecast, we still would need additional funds to maintain our books, so that’s why we should proceed with placing the levy on the ballot in November,” she said.
Voters in the district turned down a 7.82-mill operating levy request in May that would have raised $5.8 million annually. Soon after, Northmont’s BOE unanimously voted to close Englewood Elementary this summer, with plans to send the students who had been there to other schools with the goal of saving the district a projected $1 million.
Nine teaching positions were also cut, and Northmont Superintendent Tony Thomas said in May that the district received 17 resignations after the announced cuts. Three people are planning to retire, and up to 30 full-time positions could be cut in total, he added.
The resolution passed Wednesday in a unanimous vote, and included participation by recently nominated Jacob Hobbs, who serves on the board in a limited capacity representing student interests.
“It’s very interesting and a kind of surreal experience seeing both sides of the table,” Hobbs said after the vote.
Hobbs said he feels a renewed sense of hope after learning the district is set to receive more state funding next year, along with the proposed levy request, which is less expensive than the levy voters rejected in May.
“This time, the asking price is less, so there is less that the community needs to cover,” he said.
Hobbs, 17, is set to graduate in May 2024 and although he will not be a student in the district for much longer, he said he feels a sense of responsibility to ensure future students have the best chance for success.
“Even though I’m not going to reap the benefits of whatever may happen with this next election, or the next levy cycle, it is still very much my responsibility to do what is best for Northmont and what’s best for the students in general,” he said of his voting yes on the resolution of necessity. “This is a decision I feel confident in leading for the student voice, (and for) the generation to come after me.”
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