Northmont officials say the levy is needed to maintain services at current levels. District superintendent Tony Thomas said the district has only gotten about a 0.26% increase in income in the last year, which he and treasurer Ann Ferraro say has not kept up with the cost of energy and services.
According to Northmont’s November five-year forecast, the district projected deficit spending of $4.6 million for the 2024-25 school year, and larger deficits in upcoming years.
Five-year forecasts are often conservative estimates. The district’s fall 2023 forecast projected a $350,000 deficit for the 2023-2024 school year; by the end of the year, the district actually saw a multimillion-dollar surplus.
Northmont began this school year with about 40% of a year’s spending in the bank, close to the average for Dayton-area school districts. But the financial forecast Northmont approved suggests revenue will drop this year and next year despite rising property tax revenues, while expenses will increase by 7% this year, then another 3.4% the next year.
Credit: Contributed
Credit: Contributed
The district had a significant revenue increase in 2023-24, climbing from $61.3 million the previous year to $65.7 million in 23-24. That 7% increase helped the district finish $2.6 million in the black last year, after combined deficits of $4.6 million the previous two years as expenses outpaced growing revenues.
District officials say the rise in property tax revenue has been offset by a cut from state funding, leaving them with no choice than to ask the community for more funds. State funding for the upcoming two years will be decided via the state budget, which will be finalized by the legislature in the next two months.
In 2023, Northmont voters twice rejected proposed school levies that would have property taxes, first shooting down a 7.82-mill levy by a 58-42 ratio, then rejecting a 5.5-mill levy by a 54-46 ratio.
Finnegan Smith, a junior at Northmont High School, said he has been able to participate in several activities through Northmont schools, including volleyball, the DECA marketing club, drama club, football and many more. If the levy does not pass, the district’s cost savings are aimed mostly at extracurriculars and club fees. Smith said he worries if the levy does not pass that his younger siblings would not have the same ability to join clubs that he did.
“I hope that Northmont City Schools and its students will continue to have a truly supportive community I’ve cherished so deeply,” Smith said.
Credit: Contributed
Credit: Contributed
If the levy does not pass, the district has proposed $670,000 in cost savings, including:
* Reduction in athletic offerings, including the elimination of freshman teams and the consolidation of any two-team sport to one team (green and white to just green).
* Doubling athletic, extracurricular, and co-curricular program participation fees.
* Elimination of Northmont transportation for all athletics, extracurricular activities, and field trips. All athletic teams, including OHSAA teams, clubs, fine arts, and extra-/co-curricular programs would be required to provide their own transportation to games, events, and performances.
* Elimination of all supplemental contracts for clubs and activities. This would mean the district would no longer offer things like drama club, model UN, student government, Science Olympiad, middle school yearbook, elementary choir and talent show, and more.
* Increasing preschool fees to $200 per month in 2026-2027.
Community residents Stephanie Dickey and Rex Dickey attended a forum Wednesday put on by the organization running Northmont’s levy campaign. They said the community forum was able to provide more information.
Rex Dickey said he had gone through several years of Northmont’s audits before attending the session.
“I think what they presented is a real need,” he said. “The state legislature has failed to provide for schools.”
Some other residents at the forum, who declined to give their names to the newspaper, said they were concerned about rising property values and the amount of taxes they saw coming out of paychecks, especially at a time of financial concern for many people.
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