By JAN LARSON McLAUGHLIN
BG Independent News
As Ohio prepares for severe cuts in state revenue, it’s passing the pain on to school districts.
Of the $775 million in cuts planned by the state, $465 million will hit education. Of that amount, $300 million will be shaved from K-12 education.
“I understand 42% of the state budget is education,” Bowling Green Superintendent Francis Scruci said Thursday. So it stands to reason that schools will suffer some of the bigger losses, he said.
“I think we all knew at some point this was going to be coming,” Scruci said. “This has put everybody in a tough situation.”
Bowling Green City Schools will lose $698,447, or about 8.4% of its state foundation aid. That reduces per pupil funding by $234. The district had been budgeted to get $8,329,850 in foundation aid and $2,796 per pupil. The state cut represents a 2.3 percent decrease in the district’s $30.4 million budget, according to the state Office of Budget and Management.
As a larger school district, Bowling Green’s cut was bigger than many smaller districts that will face 5% cuts.
“Everybody took the hit,” Scruci said. “Some took it harder than others.”
Scruci said another superintendent pointed out that the companies that provide state testing to school districts were not affected by the cuts.
“Here we go again,” Scruci said.
“We’re all going to defend our districts,” he said. “It’s going to force districts to make some tough decisions.”
The Bowling Green Board of Education has not yet discussed how the district will handle the state cuts.
“We’re looking at all possible options,” Scruci said. “This is certainly not what any of us wanted to deal with on top of the virus.”
At this point, school districts don’t know if these cuts are all that are expected – or if further decreases in funding will be forthcoming.
“I’m hopeful this will be it – but I’m not optimistic,” Scruci said.
School districts across Ohio are still waiting to find out if they will be teaching in-person or online in the fall.
“We need some direction as to what the fall is going to look like,” he said.
Will students be in schools? Will there be classes five days a week? Will classes be staggered in split-shifts?
And if students are in school, what will the precautions look like?
“How do I keep a mask on a 5-year-old an entire day? How do I stop middle school students from touching each other?” Scruci asked.
“Everybody’s having the same conversations,” he said.
