Financial forecast shows deficit spending; board members recognized 

by Laura Bednar

Nov. 18 board of education meeting

Nordonia Hills City Schools Treasurer Kyle Kiffer presented the district’s five-year forecast for 2025-2029. Expenditures are projected to exceed revenue each year of the forecast with $59 million in revenue for 2025 falling to $58 million in 2029. Expenditures are on the rise with $60.4 million projected in 2025 and $69.2 million in 2029. Deficit spending only worsens each year from $1.3 million to just over $11 million by 2029.

Summit County’s property reappraisal in 2023 had an average 34% increase in value. Kiffer said data on residential and agricultural values shows that this increase is an outlier. Overall real estate property taxes are projected to rise incrementally in the next five years. Public utility taxes are also forecast to rise. The district is projected to receive around $5 million in state aid each year of the forecast.  

Other revenue will decrease over time, according to Kiffer, largely due to the MGM tax settlement dropping off in 2026. 

The largest expenditure is personnel, making up 74% of expenses. Kiffer said salaries and wages will grow 2.72% annually. Benefits are also projected to grow at an average of 6.4% through 2029. 

Purchased services will rise due to an increase in main transportation, special education transportation, school resource officers, electrical utility costs, nursing services and preschool payments.

Kiffer said the district’s amount of cash on hand will remain positive until 2028.

Board member Matt Kearney said that after the school levy failed at the November ballot, “I think the community has been very clear with regard to how they want us to move forward.” He added that the school board would have another work session on planning for the future.

Kearney will be proposing a plan called “Forward Together,” which he said will include many reforms and increase community communication. “I want to look at new ways to potentially reform board leadership … and see new visions proposed. I’d like to see additional cost-saving measures enacted.”

Kearney advocated for having a safety and security levy on the ballot in the spring. “I would want to see boosting security infrastructure and would move all part-time SRO officers to full time because we’re seeing the positive impacts with our students just in the part-time programs,” he said.

He also proposed a limited permanent improvement levy to target critical infrastructure needs that he said would be less than five mills.

The finance committee met and among discussion topics were athletic fees for students. Kearney said he appreciated hearing parent feedback about athletic fees. Board President Chad Lahrmer said, “In our current environment, I do not see us coming up with any way in which we are going to reduce pay to participate fees at this time. That’s my personal opinion.”

He added that he has some potential ideas to address the fees that could be discussed in the future.

Student service projects

Third-grade students from Northfield Elementary presented service projects they completed after learning about community improvement in their social studies class. Students completed two hours of community service, totaling 130 hours as a grade level.

Five students presented their projects, which included donating gently used toys to children, making small gift bags with treats and pens for nursing home residents, collecting food for the St. Vincent DePaul food pantry, and donating food and toiletries to the Ronald McDonald House.

Board recognition

Reno Contipelli, Northeast Regional Manager of the Ohio School Boards Association, recognized board Vice President Liz McKinley with the OSBA Star Award for being part of outside OSBA committees and engaging in training. Contipelli said less than 1% of the 3,500 school board members in the state earn the Star Award.

Board President Chad Lahrmer was also recognized for reaching his ten-year mark as a school board member. 

Contipelli concluded his presentation noting that Nordonia High School’s innovation and design lab was named one of the top 100 programs in the state at the OSBA Capital Conference.

Open forum

Community member Trinese Crawford said she is the founder of A Mother’s Silent Cry, a nonprofit for mothers who experience post-partum, depression and anxiety. She said the group hosts a moms support group over Zoom on the second and fourth Tuesday of the month. For more information, email Crawford at trinesec@amotherssilentcry.org.

Nordonia parent Karen Byers gave an overview of four outside organizations that support the schools but are not run by the district. The Nordonia Hills scholarship granting organization is a nonprofit that was created to award scholarships for all-day kindergarten students. Donors receive a tax credit for their donation.

The Nordonia Building Boosters offer grants for fixed assets that are not covered through the district’s budget such as AV equipment, appliances or furniture. The group also offers scholarships for high school seniors. 

Positively Nordonia is a community social organization that aims to connect the community and keep them informed of the positive things happening in the district.Nordonia Together is a political action committee committed to excellence in education and working to secure funding for the schools.