CANTON – Opposition to proposed state funding changes for public schools is gaining momentum in Stark County as mayors, council members and other elected officials are joining the fight.
Government and education leaders are hosting a Rally for Public Education at 6 p.m. June 10 in the Canton Memorial Civic Center at 1101 Market Ave. N in Canton to discuss how the proposed state funding changes will affect local students and communities. The event is free and open to the public. Doors open at 5:30 p.m.
The rally will include a panel discussion among Stark County superintendents.
Canton Mayor William V. Sherer II, who is spearheading the event, said he felt compelled to get involved after local school superintendents told him about how devastating the proposed cuts could be for public schools.
“Public education is the foundation of strong communities and a strong future,” said Sherer, who has invited every Stark County mayor, trustee and state representative to the event. “As leaders, we have a responsibility to ensure our schools are fully funded and our students are fully supported.”
During a presentation to Canton City Council last month, Canton City Schools Superintendent Jeff Talbert and Plain Local Superintendent Brent May listed multiple ways the state budget proposals would reduce the resources they can provide for students.
According to the superintendents, the Ohio House’s school funding plan would cut at least $4 million from their annual state funding starting in 2028. The Ohio Senate unveiled its plan on June 3 that provides for more funding for schools overall, but a district-by-district breakdown wasn’t immediately available.
Talbert said Canton City Schools also would lose another $12 million under a proposed cap on school districts’ rainy day funds. The Ohio House plan caps the carryover balance at 30% of a school district’s annual operating cost and gives any overages to homeowners through future property tax discounts.
The Ohio Senate’s budget proposal would cap the carryover balance at 50% of a district’s annual operating cost.
Talbert said the district has been setting aside money since 2020 to better navigate the years when state lawmakers decide to hold funding flat or significantly reduce it.
Talbert said his district also would be impacted by a proposal that would require public schools to sell school buildings that are under 60% capacity at use value – not market value – to charter schools inside and outside the community.
“So basically we’re going to take all the students at the Timken campus and evict them out of their school so we can sell it to someone outside this community,” Talbert said.
The superintendents said the proposed losses, coupled with the recent federal funding cuts, continued unfunded state mandates and higher energy and equipment prices, will force them to reduce services that are not required but vital to students and families, such as mental health services, food and clothing essentials, school resource officers and clinical counselors.
“If our funding goes away, we’re not going to be able to provide those resources,” May said. “It’s a tragedy for our community.”
May, whose district spends roughly $3,000 less per pupil than the state average, said the funding burden likely will shift to local taxpayers as districts will be forced to seek higher property tax levies to cover the loss.
“I think it’s going to take every school district in Stark County – with their boards, their administrators, teachers and local elected officials – to stand up and make enough noise for people to listen,” May said. “It’s the only way it’s going to get done.”
State lawmakers must pass the budget by July 1.
Reach Canton Repository staff writer Kelli Weir at 330-580-8339 or kelli.weir@cantonrep.com.
This article originally appeared on The Repository: Stark County school superintendents, Canton mayor to host rally against Ohio funding cuts
Reporting by Kelli Weir, Canton Repository / The Repository
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