A long time coming

FINDLAY — It's official: An income tax levy for Findlay City Schools will be included on the Nov. 5 election ballot. The district's board of education voted to approve an annual 1% income tax levy for residents within the district limits at a Tuesday meeting. The tax would generate $12.7 million in revenue for the district. "The finance committee has actually been talking about this since 2020, to be honest, and before," Board Member Susan Russel said during the meeting. "That this day was coming." Findlay City has not received "any new money in 20 years," she said. "We have essentially been living on 2004 income up to this point in time. This is the best mechanism to proceed forward with getting new operating revenue into the district because it's earned income tax," Russel said. "It will grow with inflation, it won't be held flat like property tax." A $1.1 million budget deficit was projected in the district's five-year forecast. "We can't keep up with inflation," said Treasurer Pam Harrington in an interview with The Courier. "With inflation and the (depletion of) ESSER funds, we have a growing deficit, as do most schools in Ohio." Findlay City Schools spent most of the $13.8 million in ESSER funds to pay employee salaries and benefits. The $600,000 remaining in the account has to be used up by the end of September. Harrington also said FCS will receive $800,000 less from the Fair School Funding Program because the district has the capacity to "generate more money" based on local capacity — meaning the amount of wealth a district can potentially generate for the school. "That deficit will continue year after year until eventually we run out of any cash that we have in our balance," Russel said at the meeting. Other actions The board also voted to abolish six non-teaching, administrative positions during Wednesday's meeting: director of transportation, director of facilities, director of food services, fiscal coordinator, executive administrative assistant to the superintendent and a high school building administrative assistant. Superintendent Andy Hatton said the positions were recommended to be reduced to "shift our expenditures closer to student needs, namely special education." Hatton said the district is "well aware" of the work that still exists despite the reductions, particularly in the director of transportation role. "Fortunately on the team, we have Jon Kelly, who has significant experience with transportation and facilities, so he's going to assume the position of assistant operations director and will absorb that director work," Hatton said. Eventually, a new food services director will be hired through Sodexo as part of their contract with Findlay City Schools, he said. The next board of education meeting will be 6 p.m. July 15 in the Washington Administration Building, 1100 Broad Ave.