05/19/2026
Earlier this month, the Ohio May primary election saw an unprecedented number of school districts on the ballot. Nearly 70 school districts were seeking tax levies from their local communities due to uncontrollable financial pressures, and many more districts will be on the ballot in the fall. Through strong stewardship initiatives, including spending levels well below the county average, Oak Hills Local Schools has only had one tax levy increase since 1997.
Our district is appreciative of the community's support of the November 2025 bond issue. As a reminder, this bond issue did not increase taxes and will allow our district to modernize our buildings with three new schools, as well as adding air conditioning to Oak Hills High School. By law, the funds from the bond issue are restricted to facility improvements and cannot be used for daily operations. Also, through this bond issue, our district took a proactive creative approach to secure at least $70 million from the State of Ohio which will be used to fund over 50% of the construction project. Had our district not partnered with the State of Ohio, the $70 million would have been disbursed to another school district.
Our district is experiencing the same financial pressures in our general operating fund that our colleagues are experiencing across the state. Many of these pressures, such as changes in state funding, reductions in township funding, and record high prices (including school bus diesel prices) were experienced after our November bond issue and are out of our district's control. These financial pressures have led to deficit spending in the current fiscal year, meaning our district is quickly depleting our cash reserve.
The one page document in this post will provide a deeper look into our district's financial position. As a reminder, all financial updates are available at ohlsd.us. Our district is committed to continued transparency as we navigate through these challenging times and will communicate next steps accordingly.
