Avon Schools Will Lose $800K In State Funding Due To Budget Cuts

AVON, OH — After much discussion, Gov. Mike DeWine unveiled steep cuts to the Ohio budget last week. Many of the cuts will come at the expense of public schools in Ohio, including the Avon Schools.

"Our district’s $4.9 million in funding from the state is being reduced by $808,287 this school year. This reduction impacts our general fund budget which supports the operations of our district," said Avon Schools Superintendent Mike Laub in a letter to the community.

The general fund is used to pay for operational costs of running the Avon schools. The Avon Schools also have a permanent improvement fund and a bond issue fund. Neither of those funds could be cut by school leaders because they were approved by voters.

Laub said district leaders were already working on cutting expenses prior to the governor's announcement. He said the Avon Schools are in the bottom 10-percent in the state for expenditure per pupil. "We have always been committed to a high quality educational experience for students, while responsibly managing our finances," he added.

"We will work hard over the next few weeks to develop a plan to manage this $808,287 reduction for this school year. In addition, we do expect a reduction in our revenue from the state over the next two years. We will also be working on a plan to manage that budget reduction," Laub concluded.

Last week, DeWine announced nearly $1 billion in budget cuts for Ohio. Much of the cuts targeted Medicaid and public education spending. Here's what the governor said needed to be cut in the next two months:

• K12 Foundation Payment Reduction: $300 million
• Other Education Budget Line Items: $55 million
• Medicaid: $210 million
• Higher Education: $110 million
• All Other Agencies: $100 million

DeWine said he did not want to delay making budget cuts and potentially make future cuts more painful. He also declined to dip into the state's $2.7 billion rainy day fund, saying the state may need those funds in future years.