What’s at Stake for Hilliard Schools on Election Day?
Proposed cuts include staffing reductions, increased fees, and halted construction projects as district would aim to mitigate financial shortfalls if levy fails
Election Day is Nov. 5 and while the race for U.S. President has greater national import, much is still on the line locally concerning the Hilliard City Schools’ 6.9-mill operating levy and bond issue.
The Hilliard City School Board of Education has announced a contingency plan in the event Issue 39- as it appears on the Nov. 5 ballot- fails on Nov. 5.
“While the district remains committed to delivering high-quality education, (this reduction plan) addresses potential financial shortfalls and directs the superintendent and treasurer to make reductions of $7 million to $10 million prior to the (start of) the 2025-2026 school year if Issue 39 is not successful,” said Stacie Raterman, director of communications for Hilliard City Schools.
The contingency plan, enumerated in a resolution adopted by the school board, includes reduction guidelines to maintain cash reserves as mandated in board policy while continuing to prioritize the safety and education of students, according to Raterman.
Reductions include staffing cuts, increases in pay-to-participate fees, reductions in programming, and the delay of certain building projects, Raterman said.
“Nothing on the list of reductions is something that I believe is best for our students and their families. Our goal remains to provide a safe, enriching, learning environment for all students. However, if Issue 39 is not successful, it will mean that difficult decisions will need to be made by the Board of Education. We believe that voters deserve to know what those realities likely will be,” Hilliard Superintendent David Stewart said.
According to the resolution, in the event of the failure of Issue 39, the board will direct the administration to reduce the district’s operating budget by not less than $7 million, and not more than $10 million, for the 2025-2026 school year.
If Issue 39 fails, the board has made these recommendations to the administration to reduce operating costs.
Reduce the number of teaching positions (certified), across the district, by 26; and reduce the number of classified personnel (non-teaching) by 13.
Reduce the number of administrative positions, district wide, by 4.
Reduce building, department, and professional development budgets by $1.5 million, district wide.
Reduce counselors and/or social workers by 5, district wide.
Eliminate summer school.
Expand walking zones in a manner to allow for the reduction of 5 bus routes and drivers.
At the secondary level (high schools, middle schools, and Sixth-Grade buildings):
Increase pay-to-participate fees to $300 for middle school and $600 for high school. (up from $80 and $100 presently)
Reduce the staff at the Innovation Campus by 5.
Eliminate 1 college counselor.
Schedule class size to contractual maximums.
At the elementary school level:
Eliminate noon assistants.
Eliminate Arrow Program.
Eliminate Innovation and Discovery assistants; reduce Innovation and Discovery specialists by 8.
Schedule class size to contractual maximums.
The resolution is meant to be “transparent about potential effects of a failed levy and the necessary steps we will take to safeguard the district’s financial future,” Raterman said.
What are “contractual maximums?”
Each teacher who teaches in person classes, excluding secondary performing arts, fine arts, and physical education follow this individual class size maximum:Kindergarten – 25
First – Third – 27
Fourth – Fifth - 30
Sixth - Eighth – 28
Ninth – Twelfth – 155 on their total roster
The district last appealed to voters to consider a levy in 2016, eight years ago, when voters approved a 4.6-mill operating levy and accompanying bond issue, and told voters then the district would not return to the ballot for at least four years.
The board opted not to seek a levy in 2020 during the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, and ultimately waited another four years.
“A combination of excellent fiscal stewardship, federal financial assistance owing to the pandemic, and some borrowing from the district’s cash reserve, has allowed the district to the double the predicted time frame for returning to the ballot,” Hilliard Board of Education President Brian Perry said.
“But we are deficit-spending now,” Perry said, tapping into a cash reserve that the district wants to keep at an amount equal to 20 percent of its annual operating budget.
A Combination Issue
Issue 39 is a combination 6.9-mill operating levy and bond issue that, if passed, would provide for the opening of a third sixth-grade building in the district, as well as the replacement of three elementary schools.
Brown Elementary School would be repurposed as the district’s third sixth-grade school, and Beacon and Ridgewood elementary schools would be demolished under the district’s master facilities plan, for which the bond issue would provide funding.
Beacon and Ridgewood Elementary schools would be rebuilt on the same site but the district will need to find a new site to rebuild Brown Elementary School.
The 6.9-mill operating levy, if passed, would increase property taxes $242 for every $100,000 in appraised property value.
The Franklin County auditor’s office estimated the levy would generate $31.6 million annually, according to the board’s resolution.
The bond issue would not result in any additional tax, according to district officials and the authorizing resolution.
The 1.84-mill levy would raise $142 million to fund the first phase of the district’s facilities master plan.
The bond issue would generate $64 for every $100,000 in appraised property value.
The bonds will bear interest at an estimated 5% annually over a period not exceeding 30 years, according to the resolution.
Both the operating levy and bond issue will appear on the ballot together, meaning voters will be asked to either approve or reject both proposals collectively.
The operating levy would be used to fund everyday operations in the district, including staffing, utilities and instructional materials, according to Stewart.
“We've been off the ballot for eight years, and the reality of the way the schools are funded in Ohio, basically our funding remains flat during that time, until voters approve an increase. We don't benefit from an increase in home values,” Stewart said.
Brown Elementary School opened in 1965, and if converted into a sixth-grade school, would stand alongside the existing Station and Tharp Sixth-Grade schools.
A third sixth-grade school will allow the district to create a specific sixth-grade feeder school for each of the district’s three current middle schools- Heritage, Memorial, Weaver- which in turn each feed either Bradley, Darby or Davidson High School.
Beacon Elementary School, built in 1968, and Ridgewood Elementary School, built in 1961, are among the oldest in the district.
The facility challenges are less about space and more about the age of the buildings, Stewart said.
Bond money would also be spent on renovating playgrounds and improving fine art spaces, security, athletic facilities and performing spaces at the district’s other elementary schools, as well as to fund a new preschool that would be attached to the new Beacon Elementary building.
Students at Brown, Beacon or Ridgewood would be temporarily shifted to different buildings during the construction of those respective schools.
You can generate your own sample ballot by clicking here and following the instructions found on the Secretary of State web page. https://www.ohiosos.gov/elections/voters/toolkit/sample-ballot/