Reappraisals and School Funding

Why do we need a reduction?

Why Madison Local Schools Is Experiencing Financial Pressure

Madison Local Schools is facing a combination of statewide, local, and operational factors that together create significant financial challenges. The following explains why each factor impacts the district’s financial outlook:

1. State funding formula changes reduce funding for districts with declining enrollment.
Ohio’s school funding model allocates state dollars based largely on the number of students enrolled. As districts lose students, the formula reduces the amount of state aid they receive. Because the state continues to adjust how it calculates and distributes funding, districts with declining enrollment, like Madison, experience ongoing reductions in revenue even if their fixed costs remain the same.

2. Madison’s enrollment has declined steadily for 20 years.
With fewer students, the district receives less state funding each year. At the same time, the cost of operating schools does not decrease at the same rate. Buildings still require heating, transportation routes still must be covered, and staffing needs cannot shrink proportionally without affecting programs. This long-term enrollment decline places consistent downward pressure on the district’s budget.

3. County property tax “giveback” reduced local revenue.
Recent changes in county-level property tax collections resulted in a reduced portion of revenue flowing to the district. This “giveback” adjustment decreased the local funding Madison receives, further widening the gap between what it costs to operate the district and the revenue available to support those operations.

4. Rising operational costs, including insurance, utilities, and essential services.
Like many public organizations, the district is facing increasing costs in areas such as employee health insurance, utilities, transportation, maintenance, and general operations. These expenses continue to rise each year, often at rates higher than the revenue increases available to the district. As a result, even stable revenue would struggle to keep pace, declining revenue makes the challenge even more significant.

Together, these factors contribute to Madison Local Schools’ current financial strain. Understanding these underlying causes helps explain why strategic budget reductions and long-term financial planning are necessary to ensure the district’s continued stability and ability to serve students effectively.

Reduction Recommendations- from Community

1. Facilities, Buildings & Long-Term Planning

Sell or repurpose the Board of Education building, Pre-K building, and other unused facilities.
Consider leasing or selling North Elementary and Red Bird to generate revenue.
Consolidate elementary schools (e.g., one K–4 campus) or reorganize grade bands:
- HS: 8–12 or 7-12
- MS: 5–7 or 4-6
- SES/NES: PK–4 or PK–2 and 3–5 or PK-3
Explore merging middle and high school operations to reduce staffing and utilities.
Reconfigure building usage to decrease clerical, custodial, kitchen, and utility costs.
Move BOE offices into an existing building (HS, MS, or SES).
Address safety concerns related to mixing age groups.
Improve South Elementary traffic flow before implementing grade band changes.
Repurpose staff-only gym areas and underused spaces.
Consider future development strategies to expand the tax base.
Long-term goal: Build a new consolidated elementary campus when financially viable.

2. Administrative & Staffing Structure

Reduce administrative and administrative assistant staffing through consolidation, attrition, or retirements.
Eliminate or reduce central office roles and assistant principal positions where feasible.
Reassign board office roles into school buildings.
Streamline clerical staffing and reduce contracted secretarial days.
Offer staff buyouts to reduce long-term payroll obligations.
Prioritize protection of classroom teachers and special education service providers.
Implement RIFs only when necessary, aligned with licensure flexibility.

3. Program, Partnership & Supplemental Reductions

End partnerships with low student usage or high cost (e.g., Unique Like Me).
Reevaluate programs with low enrollment or high cost (e.g., tennis).
Reduce or eliminate Edmentum when students can be served in classrooms.
Review supplemental-heavy programs (MS newspaper, student council, clubs).
Reduce supplementals: instructional coaches, grade-level advisers, yearbook, MS teams.
Reduce building substitutes and return to traditional substitute postings.
Consider eliminating specific roles (literacy specialists, certain specials teachers).

4. Transportation Adjustments

Move toward state-minimum busing standards.
Consolidate or eliminate stops; shift to group stops.
Enforce bus opt-in/opt-out processes to reduce unnecessary routes.
Explore mileage limits (e.g., no transportation within 1 mile).
Reduce or eliminate busing for athletics, band, cheerleading, and daytime events.
Reduce non-mandated field trips and chaperones.
Combine routes where safe and feasible.

5. Athletics & Extracurricular Cost Management

Increase pay-to-participate, with scholarships for families in need.
Cancel or pause low-participation sports (e.g., tennis).
Reduce middle school sports to one grade-level team (typically 8th grade).
Cut 9th grade sports or consolidate teams across grades.
Conduct annual reviews of team participation.
Require camps, clubs, and activities to be more self-funded.
Reevaluate concession operations, bingo revenue, and volunteer involvement.

6. Revenue Generation & Partnerships

Expand facility rentals (fields, gyms, auditoriums).
Launch districtwide fundraisers with local business partnerships.
Establish sponsorships for equipment, uniforms, scoreboards, and programs.
Create Amazon wishlists for classrooms and departments.
Offer community education courses or volunteer-led enrichment programs.
Apply for grants and explore renewable energy partnerships (solar, efficiency upgrades).

7. Volunteer & Community Support Models

Create a structured volunteer corps for custodial tasks, office duties, events, and grounds support.
Encourage community experts to run enrichment sessions.
Transition paid “volunteer” positions (e.g., concessions) to true volunteer service where possible.

8. Instructional & Curriculum Efficiencies

Expand the use of open-access curriculum to reduce textbook costs.
Use public library systems for class book sets.
Review electives with low enrollment.
Maintain priority on arts, music, and special education services.
Replace AIMSweb with an affordable alternative.
Shift toward teacher-created curriculum materials.
Digitize elementary libraries; convert to classroom lending models.
Reduce purchase of consumable materials.

9. Technology Cost Controls

Restrict Chromebooks from being taken home; move toward in-classroom carts.
Assess the addition of a districtwide technology fee.
Reduce color copying and reintroduce copying limits.
Digitize forms to reduce paper usage.
Restrict non-instructional copying (e.g., coloring sheets).

10. Instructional Model & Scheduling Adjustments

Reconsider block scheduling; explore returning to traditional periods.
Reduce supplementals connected to trips or nonessential activities.
Integrate clubs into the school day.
Allow 8th graders to take HS courses to decrease reliance on Edmentum.

11. Field Trip & Student Activity Reductions

Reduce or eliminate grade-level field trips.
Limit chaperones to historical minimums.
Remove supplemental positions connected solely to planning trips.

12. Calendar, Contract & Work Week Adjustments

Explore reducing the total number of school days.
Consider eliminating late-start Tuesdays.
Explore a four-day week model with a proportional pay adjustment.
Reduce substitute usage by shifting required training days.

13. Operational, Administrative & Purchasing Efficiencies

Standardize district letterhead; move to digital formats.
Eliminate expensive administrator retreats or off-site meetings.
Reevaluate BOE office costs.
Rebid all contracted services with competitive pricing.
Increase transparency in vendor selection.
Use bulk purchasing and shared-service agreements.

14. Special Education Services Review

Ensure eligibility decisions strictly follow evaluation data.
Review accommodations annually and reduce those no longer needed.
Monitor staffing based on service load to ensure appropriate placement.

15. Financial Policy Adjustments

Require student fees to be paid before extracurricular participation.
Charge entry fees for concerts or performances.
Increase employee insurance contributions to 15–20%.
Strengthen early notification procedures when staffing reductions are likely.

16. Enrollment Policy Review

Review open-enrollment sustainability; continue only if revenue-positive.
Evaluate financial impact of non-resident students requiring higher levels of support.

17. Advocacy for State & County Funding Reform

Collaborate with other districts on county rollback and state funding challenges.
Educate the community on how state-level policy impacts local districts.
Emphasize long-term structural issues affecting school funding across Ohio.

18. General Community Concerns

Acknowledge frustration about rising taxes and aging facilities.
Continue to increase financial transparency.
Seek external review of district financial statements.
Protect core programming, class sizes, special education services, and student opportunities.

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