Dear Amherst Community,
We are deeply disappointed that Issue 1 did not pass and we recognize the difficult road ahead for the Amherst Exempted Village School District. On behalf of the Board of Education and our district leadership, we want to begin by sincerely thanking everyone who supported Issue 1, advocated for our schools, volunteered their time, engaged in conversations with neighbors, and believed in the importance of investing in our students and our community. Your support means a great deal to us and we are grateful for your commitment to Amherst Schools.
We also recognize that members of our community have different perspectives and financial circumstances. We understand that asking residents to contribute additional tax dollars is a significant request. Regardless of how you voted, we remain committed to serving our students, families, and community to the very best of our ability.
However, we also have a responsibility to be honest about what comes next. The financial challenges facing Amherst Schools are significant and the future of our district is increasingly uncertain. We believe our community deserves to understand the decisions ahead, the factors that will influence those decisions, and the potential consequences for the educational opportunities we can provide our students.
What happens next?
Our next required five-year financial forecast will be submitted to the Ohio Department of Education and Workforce (ODEW) in February 2027. Based on our current financial circumstances, continued deficit spending could result in the state placing Amherst Schools under precautionary financial status and requiring the district to develop a written plan to eliminate its projected deficit.
Last year, our district was required to identify $13.2 million in reductions over a three year period. Despite those difficult decisions and the efforts already made to control spending, our financial challenges remain. Further significant reductions will most likely be necessary due to the failure of Issue 1.
These decisions will not be easy, and the potential consequences extend well beyond the district's budget. Additional reductions may affect staffing, academic programs, curriculum and instructional resources, athletics, extracurricular activities, and other opportunities that contribute to the educational experience of our students. We cannot yet identify every reduction that may be required. Those decisions will depend on our updated financial forecast in February, state funding decisions in July, and the resources available to the district.
We know these possibilities are difficult to consider. Our schools are more than buildings and budgets. They are communities where students learn, develop relationships, discover their talents, and prepare for their futures. The programs, people, and opportunities that make Amherst Schools special are the very things that become increasingly difficult to sustain when financial resources decline.
What challenges lie ahead?
Adding to these challenges, Ohio will adopt its next biennial state budget for the 2027–2028 and 2028–2029 school years. At this point, we do not know whether that budget will increase or decrease the state funding Amherst receives. In addition, the Lorain County Commissioners will also need to decide whether to approve the homestead and owner-occupied exemptions for the 2027 tax year. All of these decisions are beyond our control but could greatly affect our revenue and our ability to maintain the programs, services, and educational opportunities our students deserve.
Will Ohio fully implement the Fair School Funding Plan and provide public schools with a more equitable and sustainable funding structure? Or will the state continue directing substantial public dollars toward private school vouchers while local public school districts struggle to fund their responsibilities?
These decisions matter. State funding policies directly affect our ability to retain qualified staff, maintain programs, provide services, and offer the educational opportunities our students deserve. Until we know what the next state budget and county exemptions will or will not provide, we cannot fully understand the financial position Amherst Schools will face in the coming years.
What is the next step?
We also want our community to understand the Board of Education's next step regarding local funding. The Amherst Exempted Village School District has a 4.9 mill current expense levy that needs to be renewed in 2027. The current expense levy was passed by the community in 2012 and was renewed in both 2017 and 2022. The Board intends to place that necessary renewal levy on the May 2027 ballot.
This renewal levy is worth approximately $2.6 million annually to the district. It is not a tax increase. A renewal continues an existing levy at its current level, allowing the district to retain revenue that is already part of its operating resources. If the renewal does not pass, the district risks losing that existing revenue when the current levy expires.
This distinction is important. A renewal levy does not provide the additional revenue requested through Issue 1. It simply allows the district to maintain funding it already receives. Protecting this revenue will be an important part of our efforts to preserve the educational programs and services that remain.
We will continue to communicate openly about our financial circumstances, explain the decisions before us, and work with our community as we navigate the months ahead.
What can we do?
While our immediate responsibility is to make difficult financial decisions and prepare for the years ahead, we must also address the larger issue that continues to affect Amherst and public school districts throughout Ohio.
Public education is a shared responsibility. Yet too much of the financial burden falls on local communities and taxpayers, who are repeatedly asked to make up the difference when state funding falls short. This approach places communities in an increasingly difficult position: either ask local residents for additional tax revenue or reduce the educational opportunities available to their children.
We believe Ohio must do better. We will continue advocating with our elected officials, working alongside other school districts, and making our voices heard at the statehouse. We must pursue a funding system that more equitably distributes the responsibility for educating Ohio's children and provides public schools with the resources necessary to fulfill their mission.
We cannot continue asking local communities to carry an ever increasing share of the responsibility for public education while expecting schools to maintain the same opportunities, programs, and services with fewer resources. Without meaningful changes to the state's funding approach, districts like Amherst will continue to face difficult choices that threaten the quality and breadth of the educational experience we can offer.
What can our students, parents, and community count on?
We wish the outcome of Issue 1 had been different. We know that many of you share our disappointment, and we are grateful to everyone who stood with us throughout this process. We also know that our students, families, and staff will continue to show the resilience, determination, and Comet Pride that define our community.
The months ahead will require difficult conversations, careful financial planning, and decisions that none of us wants to make. We cannot promise that Amherst Schools will emerge from these challenges unchanged. We can promise that the Board of Education and district leadership will continue to approach these decisions thoughtfully, responsibly, and with the best interests of our students at the center.
Our responsibility is to be transparent about the challenges, accountable for the resources entrusted to us, and relentless in advocating for the future our students deserve.
Thank you for being part of Amherst Schools and the community we share. We remain proud of our students, grateful for our staff, and committed to doing everything within our ability to protect the future of the Amherst Schools.
Our Comets deserve every opportunity to learn, grow, and succeed. That commitment will not change.
With Sincere Appreciation and Comet Pride,
Mike Molnar
Superintendent
Amelia Gioffredo
Treasurer
Amherst Board of Education
Mrs. Teresa Gilles, President
Dr. Amanda Messer, Vice President
Mr. Rex Engle
Ms. Holly Koepp
Mr. Marc Zappa