Urban school districts across the United States are facing a fiscal cliff, as their COVID-relief dollars expire and their enrollment falls.
Akron schools voted Monday to eliminate 285 jobs, which will save the district approximately $24 million. Cleveland schools in February rolled out a plan to cut $168 million.
To stave off the deficit, Cleveland schools are planning to cut administrative staff and annual increases to school operating budgets, cut summer learning and out-of-school programs, reduce student technology and align school calendars to be more efficient. But that won’t eliminate the deficit. On Wednesday, the board unanimously agreed to ask voters for two tax increasees – part to pay for operating expenses, part to borrow money to improve school buildings. The district’s last tax increase was in 2020, when voters renewed an existing 15-mill operating tax originally passed in 2012, and agreed to tack on 5 additional mills. -Laura |
Overnight Scores and Weather |
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Cleveland schools CEO Warren Morgan won preliminary board approval on Tuesday to seek two tax hikes on the November ballot. (David Petkiewicz) |
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CMSD tax: Cleveland Metropolitan School District is seeking two new tax increases this year – one for operating expenses, and a second for capital costs at district buildings, reports Courtney Astolfi. The total millage that voters will be asked to approve is 11.25, costing the average Cleveland homeowner $254 per year. Tri-share child care: Ohio business leaders are lining up behind a legislative plan to earmark millions in state funding for a pilot program that would have the state, employers and families share in the cost of child care. Representatives from the Ohio Chamber of Commerce and the Ohio Business Roundtable attended a press conference Wednesday at the Ohio Statehouse, where lawmakers from both chambers of the Ohio General Assembly outlined dual bills that seek to test the so-called “tri-share” programs that already have launched in Michigan, Indiana and Kentucky. Today in Ohio: The Republican-controlled Ohio legislature did not pass a law to allow President Joe Biden on the November ballot, despite promises they would. We’re talking about the hyper-partisanship that House Speaker Jason Stephens blamed on Today in Ohio, cleveland.com’s daily half-hour news podcast. |
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Court challenge: Ohio Senate Republicans have passed a bill that would make it easier to challenge rulings issued by local judges blocking state laws from going into effect while they’re challenged in court. Andrew Tobias reports the change comes as several judges from Democratic areas of the state have blocked controversial Republican-passed laws in recent months while lawsuits challenging their constitutionality have played out. Campaign contributions: Ohio Senate Republicans are continuing their push to restrict non U.S. citizens from giving to state ballot issue campaigns after the latest bill they passed on the subject stalled in the Republican-controlled House. Andrew Tobias reports the Senate approved House Bill 305, a bill having to do with rules for county clerks of court until a Senate committee amended it earlier in the day to add the ballot-issue funding language. Armed force benefits: U.S. Rep. Max Miller, a Rocky River Republican who has staunchly backed Israel in its fight against Hamas, has introduced legislation that would extend some of the benefits that U.S. armed forces members receive to Americans serving in Israel’s defense forces, reports Sabrina Eaton. Transgender health care: The Ohio Supreme Court on Wednesday denied a request from the state to narrow a lower court’s order temporarily blocking the enforcement of the law banning transgender youth from health care and girl’s and women’s sports. Laura Hancock reports this means that the temporary ban on the law is in place and transgender youth can continue to seek health care and play on the sports teams of the gender they identify with, as long as they follow the rules of the Ohio High School Athletic Association or similar groups. |
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2023 visitors: Ohio welcomed 238 million visitors in 2023, a 2% increase over the year before and a new record. Those visitors spent a record $56 billion while exploring the state, reports Susan Glaser. Of those 238 million visitors, 48 million stayed overnight -- and 84% of them said they are likely to visit Ohio again in the next 12 months. St. Ignatius: St. Ignatius High School is nearing the new construction phase of its major renovation and expansion along Lorain Avenue in Ohio City, reports Megan Sims. Though a formal, invitation-only groundbreaking is scheduled Thursday, May 30, work on renovations of existing space began in March. School officials say they are about to begin construction on the school’s new academic building, DiSanto Hall. Delinquent: Daniel’s first time touching the juvenile justice system stemmed from an incident so minor he almost didn’t qualify for one of the court’s most intensive programs, designed to pull youth back from the brink of deeper crime. But John Tucker and Kaitlin Durbin report in their Delinquent series that his behaviors had been stacking into a pattern of violence that officials worried could lead to serious charges. So, the court referred him to Multisystemic Therapy, or MST, to head off problems at the suspected source: his home. Juvenile Justice: Cuyahoga County is working to address disparities in juvenile justice and prioritize prevention amid reporting and widespread criticism over how the system is currently working for area youth. Kaitlin Durbin reports Cuyahoga County Council has created a temporary subcommittee to review how the juvenile justice system is working and make recommendations to enhance services and improve outcomes for youth, and a new grant announced this week will kickstart “a groundbreaking effort to reshape the juvenile justice system.” Summer camp: What better time to take up a new activity than summertime on the North Coast. It’s time to get outside and play, be adventurous and perhaps find a new activity you’ll love. Rich Exner corralled a dozen or so of our reporters to branch out and fulfill one of their curiosities through the help of how-to classes or other hands-on opportunities with experts. They’ll share their experiences with you, our readers. |
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Eye center: University Hospitals’ ophthalmology department on Monday asked Cuyahoga County for $500,000 in federal American Rescue Plan Act dollars, reports Julie Washington. The money would be spent on specialized equipment and staff training, allowing patients to get care in one location. Melt lawsuit: Melt Bar & Grilled has already closed several locations. Now, it’s facing several lawsuits over accusations of unpaid rent and could face more than $1 million in damages. Sean McDonnell reports landlords in Avon and Canton and two landlords in Columbus are suing the Melt restaurant chain and founder Matt Fish in separate county courts. Food inspections:Zachary Smith has a list of the Lorain County restaurants and retailers cited with the most food inspection violations during the 2023-2024 inspection year ending in February. More than 1,400 places were cited during the most recent inspection year, but less than a tenth received more than 10 citations. PreCheck: Susan Glaser just renewed her TSA PreCheck, and for $70 and five years, she’ll be able to skip the long security lines at Cleveland Hopkins and other airports all over the country, keep her shoes tied and my laptop in her bag. Susan Glaser reports on the time saver, which is also a mind saver, in those harried hours before a flight. TSA hours: The Transportation Security Administration is expanding its hours at Cleveland Hopkins International Airport ahead of the busy summer travel season. Starting this week, the airport’s south TSA checkpoint – the one closest to the United Airlines counters – is open at 3 a.m., 30 minutes earlier than previously scheduled. The north and central checkpoints are open at 3:45 a.m., 15 minutes earlier than before, reports Susan Glaser. Healthcare costs: Despite federal rules that have required hospitals to make their prices public since 2021, Cleveland area hospitals are failing to fully comply with the regulations, reports Gretchen Cuda Kroen |
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Police shooting: Euclid police shot a suspect Wednesday afternoon behind a shopping center, reports Molly Walsh. The person was hospitalized. Heartless Felons: A suspected member of the Heartless Felons, Cleveland’s most violent and widespread gang, is accused of illegally possessing a gun while fighting with Cuyahoga Falls police. Adam Ferrise reports Jemar Simmons, 34, of Akron is charged in federal court in Akron with possessing a weapon with a felony record and possessing a machine gun. Akron shooting: Akron police say a passerby was shot on the city’s South Side on Tuesday afternoon, reports Molly Walsh. Police responded to the 1200 block of Virginia Avenue at about 3:40 p.m. after receiving a call that a woman had been injured Bedford murder: A federal task force on Tuesday arrested a man accused of murder, reports Olivia Mitchell. DaTwaun Diamond, 20, of Euclid was wanted by the Bedford Heights Police Department on charges involving the fatal shooting of La’Quan Evans, 19, of Oakwood Village in March. Standoff: Three people are dead after an hourslong standoff in Cleveland’s Mount Pleasant neighborhood. Olivia Mitchell reports police said a suspect killed two people and then died by suicide. Fabricated testimony: A witness whose testimony was key to convicting a man of murder in 2008 took the stand Wednesday and said he made the entire thing up to get out of a potential 20-year prison sentence he faced in a federal drug conspiracy case, reports Cory Shaffer. |
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Ask Lucas: If your father-in-law is such a loud eater that you can barely hear the dinner conversation over the sound of him chewing, what do you do? Lucas Daprile writes that it helps if you do things like cook the carrots before serving, or make sure your salad is free of gravel or other rocks that may break against his teeth. Distillery Trail: The Ohio Distillery Trail is officially open, reports Paris Wolfe. To sign up, go to the Ohio Distillers Guild website and download the mobile-exclusive passport. Bon Jovi: A new, full-floor retrospective called “Bon Jovi Forever” spans the band’s four-decade history and will open to the public on the sixth level of the Rock Hall on Saturday, June 8, reports Peter Chakerian. |
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Emerson, Lake and Palmer drummer resurrects fallen bandmates for technology-enhanced tour Read more The last York Steak House in America is for sale — and it’s in Columbus Read more Ranking 9 varieties of Jimmy Dean Breakfast Bowls from worst to best Read more |
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