ISSUE 7 INFORMATION

Governor’s Budget Forces Hilliard City Schools to Announce Nearly $4 Million in Possible Reductions – Issue 7 More Important Than Ever

Governor Kasich’s draft biennial budget proposal will cause Hilliard City Schools to lose $14.1 million in state school funding dollars over the next two school years. Changes to the Business Tangible Personal Property Tax Reimbursement and cuts from the loss of federal stimulus dollars will decrease Hilliard City Schools’ school funding money.

These changes cause a budget deficit in the next FY of the Five-year Financial Forecast. Under Ohio law, school districts that show a budget deficit that early in the forecast are required to identify a list of cuts that will be enacted by the school district in order to eliminate any deficit in the event a levy does not pass. 

Hilliard City Schools has a 6.9-mill operating issue on the May 3, 2011 ballot, also known as Issue 7. Today the district announced the list of proposed budget reductions that would take effect for the 2011-12 school year should Issue 7 fail.

“I do not want to make these cuts,” said Superintendent Dale A. McVey.  “However Hilliard City Schools has already reduced expenditures by $6.5 million including pay freezes for administrators, teachers and staff members. If Issue 7 is not successful, serious reductions will have to be made.”

The $3,890,279 list of possible reductions includes:

  • eliminating 51.5 administrative, certified and classified positions;
  • reducing 247 classified positions;
  • eliminating all middle school athletic programs;
  • eliminating gifted instruction;
  • eliminating fifth grade band and strings programs; and,
  • eliminating transportation services for field trips, daycare services and FOCUS (gifted) shuttles.

“Together, this community has built an excellent school district,” said McVey.  “I want to preserve the quality of education and programs we have today.  Issue 7 gives us that opportunity.”

The Hilliard City Schools Board of Education is holding a special meeting on March 28 at 7 p.m. in the Central Office Annex Building to take action related to this list of reductions.  Additional information related to the school district, including a more detailed list of the cuts, may be found online.