Brunswick Schools gives community call to action for state legislation that would impact school funding

BRUNSWICK — Brunswick Schools is asking community members to contact state legislators regarding the negative impact proposed state legislation, like the biennial budget, could have on public school funding. Superintendent Jason Niedermeyer and Treasurer Mark Pepera gave a presentation on the potential impact during the board of education meeting Tuesday. Gov. Mike DeWine proposeed the first version of the biennial budget, and the House of Representatives and the Senate made their own versions of the bill, Niedermeyer said. The conference committee will reconcile differences between the versions to create the final bill. "We're anticipating that on June 25, they will hand that version over to the governor," he said. "Then it has to be signed by the governor prior to June 30." Brunswick Schools discussed the Senate's version of the budget. Pepera said the cash balance cap was raised to 50 percent from the House's proposed 30 percent cap. "They would allow school districts to carry over as much as 50 percent of the previous year's expenditures, so at least it's moving in the right direction," he said. "Again, I would argue that even with going to 50 percent for districts such as ours, we would still lose revenue. We would still lose several million dollars." Brunswick Schools would benefit from the proposed performance guarantee for high-achieving districts, Pepera said. A challenge is that the benchmarks for the school report card frequently change. "The system that they're using here is flawed in order to punish districts who aren't meeting the marks," board President Mary Weinhauer said. Another proposal would divest local control from school boards and give that power to the county's budget commission, Pepera said. The commission would have the authority to evaluate school districts' finances annually and make adjustments. "Our community elected us to make responsible decisions about Brunswick's educational priorities and financial future while respecting the wishes of our community," Weinhauer said. "To shift these decisions to county officials doesn't just undermine the board of education, it undermines the will of the voters. It allows county officials to nullify votes that have been cast in past elections." There is also a proposal that would stop the renewal of emergency levies, Pepera said. To make up for the loss of funding, the district would have to put a new levy on the ballot instead. House Bill 335 was also discussed on Tuesday. Niedermeyer said the bill would remove inside millage collection for school districts and for municipalities. Inside millage refers to the 10 mills that can be levied without going to a vote. "How does that impact our school district? We estimate it's about an $8 million (loss)," he said. "It's $5.9 million against our general fund, and then $2 million in permanent improvements." Brunswick Schools previously told the community that it does not anticipate being back on the ballot until spring 2028, barring any issues with state funding. Niedermeyer said the district will continue to advocate for itself in front of the state. "We're not opposed to property tax reform, but it needs to be done in a way that is thoughtful, not rushed and includes the input of entities that are going to be drastically and dramatically affected by those changes," Weinhauer said. Contact reporter Madisyn Woodring at (330) 721-4049 or mwoodring@medina-gazette.com.