Bath superintendent, treasurer testify against state budget provision
Superintendent Mike Estes and Treasurer Joel Parker spoke briefly about how the proposal, included in the House version of the state's two-year operating budget, would affect district control over its own finances.
"We've got two aging buildings," Parker said of why a district would carry cash from year to year. "We've got boilers that need replaced. In the past, we've seen budget reduction orders. We've seen COVID. We've seen the Great Recession. We have inflation on medical insurance (and) labor costs. We want to stay off the ballot. We want a better bond rating."
The Senate Education Committee met Wednesday to hear testimony from administrators, teachers, parents and other stakeholders opposed or in favor of the House budget bill.
Senators are drafting their own version of the budget, which must be reconciled with the House and signed into law before July 1. The bill will determine school funding levels for the next two fiscal years.
Parker described Bath schools as a "low-spending, high-performing district."
The district earned four out of five stars on its most recent state report card. Parker said the district spends an average of $12,000 per student, compared to the statewide average of $16,000 per pupil.
"We feel like we're the smallest level of government, and we feel like we are efficient," Parker said, asking if the state budget would "punish" districts for "doing the right things."
House lawmakers introduced the proposed cap on public K-12 school cash balances, also known as carryovers, to provide property tax relief for property owners who saw their assessments increase by double digits this past year.
The cap would affect an estimated 500 districts in Ohio, according to the Ohio School Boards Association.
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