CINCINNATI — Ohio promised its school districts a tax repayment. Many of them are still waiting on the full check. A new Enquirer investigation found school districts across the state received less than expected in state reimbursements — and in Hamilton County, the shortfalls are large enough to fund teachers’ salaries.
Southwest Local Schools Treasurer Thomas Lowe said his district received more than $400,000 less than it was owed, with “no communication from the state regarding an ‘underpayment.'” The district of about 4,000 students has already cut 12 teachers and more than a dozen support and athletics staff in recent years as property tax revenue slid and state aid dried up — cuts driven by the long trend, not this single check.
Cincinnati Public Schools came up about $398,000 short of what it expected. The district’s latest budget already included more than 100 staff reductions, and district officials said the reimbursement gap didn’t drive those cuts — but “I’d love that money, for sure,” a treasurer said. “That’s four teachers we can put in schools.”
St. Bernard Elmwood Place City Schools, a small Hamilton County district, anticipated around $207,000 in reimbursement and received just over $130,000 — slightly more than half of what was expected.
Several treasurers said the errors are unlikely to force immediate cuts because district budgets were already finalized when the reimbursements arrived. But the legislation moving through Columbus contains no language addressing the reimbursement discrepancies — leaving districts unsure whether the missing dollars will ever arrive.