NEW RICHMOND EXEMPTED VILLAGE
SCHOOL DISTRICT
1135 BETHEL-NEW RICHMOND ROAD, NEW RICHMOND, OHIO 45157
PHONE: 513-553-2616
May 8, 2020
Dear New Richmond Community Members,
Time and again over recent days I’m reminded of the idiom, ‘if it’s not one thing it’s another.’ Following the passage of the New Richmond Exempted Village School District operating levy in the March primary, based on unofficial election results, I felt as though we were finally back on the right track. Then on Tuesday, May 5, Governor Mike DeWine dealt a financial setback to not only New Richmond Schools but districts across the state.
Due to the economic slowdown related to COVID-19, the governor announced nearly $800 million in state budget cuts to be enacted immediately. The biggest cuts will be coming from the education system: K-12 schools and higher education.
After sitting through many virtual meetings and phone discussions this week, Treasurer James Corbeil and I have a clearer picture of how the cuts will impact our New Richmond Schools.
For our district, the total reduction will be nearly $500,000, an adjusted per-pupil reduction of $246. The reductions will be applied proportionally to New Richmond’s final three payments from the state for this fiscal year - one in May and two in June.
As you can imagine, we are disappointed by these reductions. However, we are also hopeful. After July 1, we expect to receive $350,000 from the CARES Act, a federal program giving states funding to help offset Covid related financial losses. There may also be an additional opportunity for Ohio’s schools to recoup some or all of the money that’s being cut through grants, but not in this fiscal year. Also, our building principals and district administrators are evaluating their budgets to identify savings resulting from the shift from in-person to remote learning the past three months (for example lower fuel and utility costs, etc). We will have a clearer picture within the next few weeks of what these savings might look like. With continued careful monitoring of our budget, we will be able to weather this latest storm.
Like so many of you, we continue to do the best we can in these unprecedented times. This is anything but business as usual. We will work to keep you informed as new information becomes available.
Until then, thank you for your ongoing support. We are truly in this together.
Sincerely,
Tracey Miller
Superintendent
New Richmond Schools