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POLAND -- School finances dominated conversation at this week's Poland Board of Education meeting.
Last year, the district did not know what to expect because of legislation changes. This year, officials know that revenue will be flat.
The 20-mill floor is one area affecting revenue. The 20-mill floor was enacted in 1977 to ensure a minimum level of funding for school districts in Ohio. In 2025, legislation made some changes to what counts toward the 20-mill floor that took Poland and some other districts off it, meaning the district could no longer benefit from increased property values.
"Before the recent legislation, when property values rose, Poland would see an increase in revenue," Poland Local Schools Treasurer Jeanette Medina said. "Now, when property values go up, the tax (revenue) for Poland schools stays flat."
Another area affecting the districts in Mahoning County is the recently approved owner-occupied housing credits. This credit came from Ohio HB 96, which allowed county budget commissions to double the Homestead exemption and/or the owner-occupied credits.
At the state level, the Homestead Exemption credit was geared to giving retirees on fixed incomes a break. The retirees got the break and the schools did not lose anything as the state gave the schools the funds they had lost from the credit.
Medina said when the county voted to double the owner-occupied credit, unlike the state, the county does not make up the difference to the school districts. The additional taxpayer discount ends up being a loss to school districts.
The loss for the Poland district will be approximately $350,000 per year.
"My big concern is the fluctuation in revenue," board member Greg Riddle said.
Riddle pointed to the last few months and a concern about school finances. Because of all the legislation passed this year and the revaluation of properties, county auditors had to wait to see how to collect tax bills.
Those invoices were due to be collected starting July 24, but because of the changes, the invoices were put on hold. The state did away with the penalty for late filing of property taxes for the mid-year collection. When the numbers were known, the calculations were done and the tax invoices were mailed and collecting began this month.
"We got our first payment of half a million," Medina said. "By now we would normally see close to $8 million. We are still in the process of getting those funds. Thankfully we have enough money in our reserves to meet our obligations."
Riddle added there are low-interest loans and possibly grants for energy efficiency improvements available from HB 15. He suggested having audits done of all the schools. The high school recently had one completed ,and the data it revealed will be released soon.
Riddle said McKinley school could use new windows, and a roof on North might qualify as well.
In other business at the meeting, donations were accepted for the Poland High School Interact Club, with $50 donations coming from Bodine and Co., Certus Health, the Hadi Chammas family, Sentinel Financial Services and Hooked Window Cleaning. Nolfi and Associates Insurance and Financial Services LLC donated $100 to the club.