Superintendent Urges Citizens To Protest “Unfair” Cut In State Revenue To Kettering Schools

In a letter to each Kettering resident, Superintendent of Schools, Dr. Jim Schoenlein, warns that if the state Budget Bill (HB 153) goes through in its present form, over the next two years Kettering will lose $5.5 million in revenue previously promised to the district.

This budget reverses a promise by the previous governor, Ted Strickland, that for the next two years schools could count on state reimbursement to make up for loss of revenue from the elimination of the Tangible Personal Property Tax on business.

Schoenlein is urging Kettering residents to attend a community meeting on Monday, May 2 at 7:00 P.M. at Van Buren Middle School to discuss this unexpected loss of revenue and, in addition, to contact their State Senator, Peggy Lehner, and their State Representatives, Terry Blair and Jim Butler. Schoenlein writes, “If this Budget Bill becomes law, the Kettering City School District will have no choice but to slash programs and personnel or ask taxpayers for more money.”

Each Kettering resident also received a copy of Schoenlein’s letter to Senator Lehner, in which he urges Lehner to take action to help Kettering Schools. Schoenlein writes:

“As you know the proposed budget bill phases out the reimbursement for losses due to the elimination of the Tangible Personal Property Tax. This measure represents a serious reduction in funding to Kettering Schools. … To expect the district to either cut millions more or launch an unexpected tax levy is unfair and unrealistic. … Why should a few school districts, including Kettering City Schools, suffer extraordinarily heavy fiscal burdens in order to make the entire state more attractive to business? …

This is not a philosophical or a party-line issue; this is a matter of you fighting to alleviate undue and unfair suffering imposed on one of your communities.”

 

Senator Lehner responded in a letter that, “I do not have a solution at this time … Be assured that I will be exploring all possible options to assist you.”

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