Nordonia board will try again to pass levy

by Laura Bednar

July 11 board of education meeting

The Nordonia Hills Board of Education will ask voters in November to pass a 5-mill levy: four mills for operations and one for permanent improvements, the same combination that failed at the polls in March.

The Summit County Fiscal Officer calculated the estimated revenue generated from the millage to be $7.3 million. The millage will cost taxpayers $175 per $100,000 of county appraised value.

Each board member gave their thoughts on the levy before voting. Board member Matt Kearney cast the sole dissenting vote, reiterating his points from the June meeting. He said the opportune time to ask for funds is next year, when the bond from 2001 falls off for taxpayers. He added that the district’s cash balance will be positive until 2028, and he would prefer a levy for safety and security this year.

Board member Jason Tidmore said the board is trying to get ahead of things: “The decision to bring this to a vote was so we’re not waiting until the absolute last minute before we address the concerns we know are predicted to come quite soon.”

Board President Chad Lahrmer said while the forecast shows a positive ending cash balance, the cash flow is negative every year, and the district is projected to deficit spend. “Putting this off gets our cash balance dangerously low and puts us in a precarious position,” he said.

Board member Liz McKinley said financial commitments are divided into three equal parts: safety, facilities plus students and staff. She said they are of equal importance but not monetarily equal. She added that safety and security costs are being paid from the general fund and through grants.

Superintendent Casey Wright articulated his appreciation for the board working together and coming to the decision it did.

Mock trial team

Dr. Endre Szentkiralyi, coach of the Nordonia mock trial team, recognized his students for their successful season. He said over 300 teams compete in mock trial district competitions in Ohio. Winning teams advance to the regionals, and 24 teams make it to Columbus in March for the state championship.

Nordonia placed second in the district out of 20 teams and advanced to the regional. Members included Devin Sethna, Keirsten Trehan, Christian Chang, Shaylee Henderson, Kennedy Auman and Olivia Tidmore.

Also present were members from last year’s team that made it to the state competition: Sethna, Chang, Tidmore, Auman and Andrew Estep.

Szentkiralyi also recognized legal adviser Farhad Sethna, who has helped coach the mock trial team for the past 18 years. During his tenure, Nordonia advanced to Columbus for the state competition five times and made it to the semifinals once.

Finances

Treasurer Kyle Kiffer outlined district finances at the end of the fiscal year, June 30. He said the cash balance at the end of June was $16.7 million. Revenue was $58.1 million and total expenditures for the fiscal year were $58.46 million. Compared to the five-year forecast, Kiffer said the district spent less on equipment, more in pupil transportation, more on general supplies and more in professional and technical services.

He explained that pupil transportation, including special education students, rose because the district must use general fund money after reaching its limit of federal transportation funds. “We hit those marks because the cost of everything was more,” said Kiffer.

The district’s deficit at the end of the fiscal year was $431,856. “To me, this is an acceptable amount within the forecast,” he said.

District expenditures increased 2.8% from the previous fiscal year. The general fund cash balance decreased by 3.75%. ∞