The Ohio Department of Education requires school district to file five-year forecasts twice a year. Meeting in November, the Boardman Board of Education approved the local system’s current five-year forecast, portions of which are printed below.
     
      The State Budget represents 28% of district revenues, (more than $10 million) which means it is a significant area of risk to revenue. The future risk comes in FY22 and beyond if the state economy worsens, or if the funding formula in future state budgets reduce funding to the Boardman Local School District. There are two future State Biennium Budgets covering the period from FY22-23 and FY24-25 in this forecast. Future uncertainty in both the state foundation funding formula and the state’s economy makes this area an elevated risk to district funding long range through FY24. The Boardman Local School District projects state funding to be in-line with current estimates through FY24 which are conservative and should be close to whatever the state approves for the FY22-23 biennium budget.
      The district has three levies that will expire during this five year forecast period---A 5.9 and 6.0 mill current expense levies expiring in 2021 and another 5.9 mill levy expiring in 2023. All of these levies are critical and are necessary to keep the district financially healthy long term. While all these levies have been renewed before; should either fail there will be serious consequences for the district’s financial stability.
      HB166 continues the many provisions contained in prior state biennium budgets that will continue to draw funds away from the Boardman Local School district through continuing school choice programs such as College Credit Plus, [so-called] community schools and increases in per pupil education scholarship amounts deducted from state aid in the 2020-21 school years, even though funding for Boardman Local School District students was not increased to the district for this biennium budget. College Credit Plus costs continue to increase as this program becomes more understood. These are examples of new choice programs that increase with each biennium budget cost the Boardman Local School District money. Expansion or creation of programs such as these exposes the district to new expenditures that are not currently in the forecast.
      Labor relations in the Boardman district have been amicable with all parties working for the best interest of students and realizing the resource challenges the district faces.
      Supplemental Funding for Student Wellness and Success (Restricted Fund 467)---Nearly all of the new funding for K-12 public education in the FY20-21 Executive Budget is provided through a formula allocating [subsidies] based upon each district’s percentage of students in households at or below 185% of the Federal Poverty Level (FPL) and the total number of students enrolled in each district. The Boardmam Local School District is estimated to receive $410,614 in FY20 and $578,326 in FY21. Money will be received twice each year in October and February. These dollars are to be deposited in a Special Revenue Fund 467 and are restricted to expenses that follow a plan developed in coordination with one of the approved community partner organizations approved in HB166 that include the following:
       •Student Wellness and Success Initiatives
       •Mental health services
       •Services for homeless youth
       •Services for child welfare involved youth
      Community liaisons
       •Physical health care services
       •Mentoring programs
       •Family engagement and support services
       •City Connects programming
       •Professional development regarding the provision of trauma-informed care
       •Professional development regarding cultural competence
       •Student services provided prior to or after the regularly scheduled school day or any time school is not in session
      Casino Revenue: On November 3, 2009 Ohio voters passed the Ohio casino ballot issue...The state indicated recently that revenues from casinos are not growing robustly as originally predicted but are still growing slowly as the economy has improved. In FY 20-24, the Boardman Local School Treasurer Nicholas Ciarniello estimates revenue from casinos will be about $53.75/student.
      Wages in the Boardman Local School District: Negotiations with bargaining unit members was completed in summer 2017 resulting in a three year agreement that includes a base increases of 1% and a 1% stipend for FY18, a 2% base increase for FY19 and FY20. Step and training increases are included for FY20-24
       •STRS/SERS will increase as wages increase. As required by law the BOE pays 14% of all employee wages to STRS or SERS. In addition, the district pays SERS surcharge for classified staff that does not make a set amount for retirement purposes.
       •Insurance: The district is estimating insurance based on district caps in the labor agreements at $6.5 million for FY19, and $6.69 million for FY20. A 3.0% increase for each year FY21 - FY24, is forecasted for planning purposes which reflects trend and the likely increase in health care costs as a result of PPACA [Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. The PPACA, commonly called Obamacare or the Affordable Care Act (ACA), is a United States federal statute signed into law on March 23, 2010. This is based on the current employee census and claims data.
      Fiscal Facts
       •FY 2020 cost of base wages: $23,917,263
       •Total cost of Fringe Benefits: $11,061,446
      General Fund Monies 
       •Total Revenues-----2020: $48,885,864
        2021: $49,167,642
       •Total Expenditures-2020: $46,820,373
           2021: $49,246,517