After careful consideration by the Board of Education throughout the 2023-2024 school year, they decided a 1% earned income tax was more fair and equitable for our community, as opposed to a property tax. Here are the reasons:
Nearly 30% of the voters who live within the school district boundaries are on fixed incomes. An earned income tax will not tax social security, retirement, or pension benefits.
When property values go up, Findlay City Schools does not collect more money on the voted mileage. We are held flat at what voters told us we could collect. We are over-reliant on property taxes and we do not get inflationary increases with property taxes. It is time to diversify revenue streams.
Unlike a property tax, with an earned income tax, we all rise and fall together with the economy.
The Board decided to ask for only what is needed, nothing more.
ESSER Funding was distributed over four calendar years, and was required to be spent by September 30, 2024. Money not spent would be forfeited.
This funding was required to be spent first, and then reimbursed. All funding was audited.
Findlay City Schools intentionally directed these funds towards elements that would close learning gaps and support our students, including, but not limited to:
summer learning programs
Science of Reading professional development
phonics support
behavior support
instructional support
technology accessibility and support
software programs and platforms to supplement virtual instruction and learning.
For a more detailed explanation of ways the funding was used, please see this report.
The City of Findlay taxes 1% of the income of all people that work in Findlay, regardless of where they live. It generates between $30-$36 millionper year for the City of Findlay. Findlay City Schools receives none of this.
The proposed Findlay City Schools 1% earned income tax will tax only the earned income of the people that live within the boundaries of Findlay City Schools regardless of where they work. It is forecasted to generate approximately $13.1 Million per year for the Findlay City School district.
When property values go up, Findlay City Schools does not collect more money on the voted mileage. We are held flat at what voters told us we could collect, which is the law in the state of Ohio (HB 920).
As are most of the 600-plus school districts in Ohio, FCS is over-reliant on property taxes and we do not get inflationary increases with property taxes. It is time to diversify revenue streams.
To keep costs in check over time, from 2004 to 2020, the district consolidated three middle schools into two, closed two elementary schools, updated aspects of the buildings to reduce energy bills long term, and reduced staff through attrition and not backfilling positions.
When the pandemic hit, the Federal government provided FCS with ESSER money, which helped sustain the district from 2020 through 2024. Those Federal funds run out on Sept. 30, 2024.
The turf was funded through a combination of generous donors, the Trojan Club athletic boosters, and Permanent Improvement dollars. Operating funds can't be used for turf, and the money used for turf can't be use for operating expenses.
