ELIDA, OH (WLIO) - Many Elida residents voiced strong concerns about the financial future of Elida Local Schools at Tuesday night's special board of education meeting.
On Tuesday evening, many Elida residents publicly addressed the board with their concerns if a renewal levy is not pursued.
Currently, the Elida School Board is weighing the idea of putting out a $2.7 million renewal levy as the current levy expires at the end of 2025. In the unofficial 5-year forecast presented by Elida Treasurer Larry Kaiser, the district's expenses are forecasted to outpace revenues by an increasingly growing margin. On Tuesday evening, many Elida residents publicly addressed the board with their concerns if a renewal levy is not pursued.
"We have to be active in convincing the voters the importance of all of this. I say this as a parent. I got young kids; they're going to see the results of what goes on here. So, that matters to me the most," says Jeff Thomas, who spoke in support of the renewal levy to the Elida School Board.
"We face losing so much by not putting this levy on the ballot and not passing it. We face losing monetary funding, but more importantly, we face losing good teachers that we can't afford to lose and we shouldn't lose," says Danielle McClure, who spoke in support of a renewal levy to the Elida School Board.
"For the first time in my career, I honestly don't know what the future holds for me as a professional educator in this district. I don't know what the future holds for the students of Elida High School, Middle School, and Elementary School," says Bryan Horn, who spoke in support of a renewal levy to the Elida School Board.
"We face losing so much by not putting this levy on the ballot and not passing it."
After Tuesday night's meeting, we asked Elida School Board President Jeffrey Point about what the board's next steps are and if budget cuts are a possibility if a levy doesn't pass.
"We will be putting a resolution forth that will allow us to certify... we'll have the auditors certify the millage. Once that is certified by the auditor's office on a first vote, we will bring it back on a second vote. The following month at that point, then we would certify it to the board of elections to place it on the spring levy. Our goal is that we don't have to look at anything else along those lines, but there is opportunities, if we had to, where we can make cuts. Those are not something that we want to even get into," says Jeffrey Point, President, Elida School Board of Education.
Point adds the goal is to put the levy on the Spring 2025 ballot.
