001I'd like to call to order the Monday, October 13th meeting of the Lorraine uh school board. Call the or uh call the role, please. >> Mr. Ferguson, >> here. >> Mrs. Washington, Dr. Ballard, >> here. >> Mrs. Nazario, >> here. >> Mr. Sturgil, >> here. >> Um, Mr. May. >> Yeah. Good evening, everyone. I'd like to welcome and introduce Mrs. Miller and Miss Martin from Frankosinto Elementary School who are going to lead us in the pledge and then will talk with us about responsibility and bullying. >> Friends, you want to come up? >> I mean, come on. >> I was going to say you called them friends and they got confused. >> They are my friends. >> All right. I'm going to introduce them and then we'll do the pledge. Is that okay? >> That's
002right. Okay. Yep. >> So, I have Lulani Cabrera. She's a third grade student. She's the daughter of Miss Naia Harris. Lulani participates in student council and Boys and Girls Club. Then I have Oh, you guys switched it up on me. Good thing I know you guys. Janise Otto. She's a fifth grade student, daughter of Ethan Otto. She's a member of student council, safety patrol, and boys and girls club. And then I have you guys really switched this up on me. I don't even have you on here. McKenzie Michaela Jordan, sorry about that. Michaela, are you in student council? And you're also in safety patrol. Good thing I know this. Okay. Joe Mariliss Esquilan. She's a fifth grade student, daughter of Jason and Frances Esdo and she's a member of student council girl scouts and intermole
003basketball. Uh Jandela Vasquez, there she is over there, is a fourth grade student, daughter of Natalia Vasquez Cologne. She's a member of student council, intramural basketball, and Girl Scouts. Zedes Barros Rivera there on the end is a fourth grade student, daughter of Miss Zomati Ivaliz Rivera Franco. Zedes is a member of student council book club and girl scouts. And then Rowan O'Neal, hi Rowan, a third grade student, son of Rissa O'Neal. Rowan is a member of student council and boys and girls club. And finally, Marisol Ruez is a fifth grade student. Uh she's the daughter of Freddy and Francisco Ruez. Marisol is a member of student council and safety patrol. All right. So now you guys have to come all around here so we can say the pledge or whatever. So can everybody please stand
004for the pledge of allegiance? Right hand over your heart. Face the American flag. You ready? To the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, liberty and justice for all. >> Excellent job. All right, Lulani, you're my first. Why don't you guys come up here so they can see you? I'm going to give you the microphone and then you're going to pass it to the next person. Okay. >> Good evening. We are the student council from Fraento Elementary School. Thank you. Thank you for inviting us to represent our school. Tonight, >> this month at Frankento, our character focus is responsibility. Being responsible means doing what's right even when no one's watching. >> We show responsibility by taking care of our school, completing our
005work, and treating others with respect. October is also National Bullying Prevention Month. We're learning how to be upstanders, not bystanders. That means speaking up, standing up, and helping others if we see someone being treated unfairly. At Frank Sento, being responsible also means being kind and helping makes a our school a safe and welcoming place for everyone. Together, we're working on we're work. We're we're learning that when we take responsibilities for our actions, our words, and how we treat each other, we make our school and community stronger. >> Each school Well done. >> Yes. >> Yeah. I'd like to invite uh families up and if we do just one giant picture here with uh the students that'd be great. >> I'd like to say thank you to Miss Martin and Mr. Boon back there who also
006support the school and being here. Yeah, you can. >> All yours. >> What? >> Right. >> All right. There's Michael in the back in the blue. [Music] Yeah, families, you are welcome to stay, but if uh you would like to go home and enjoy your evenings, you please don't feel bad doing so. And if anybody needs We walked in with a few that way, Michael, you got uh that way to >> Yep. I'm just going to give you these numbers, though. just in case we get to that part of the show. >> You can [Music] Thank you. >> No problem. >> That was really well done. >> That's my favorite part. >> Yep. >> The car. >> Recognition of visitors. >> Well, your first hearing of the public, but that's going to count. Go ahead.
007That's up now. as you stare directly at me. Okay. Uh Julie Garcia, LEA president. Um I want to give you an update of some of the things that we're doing, but before I do that, I'm also a member of the Lorraine administration, Lorraine Alumni Association, and we are having a um alumni mixer after the homecoming uh game on Friday, October 17th at the Lorraine IAV on Overland Avenue. So, Sealman Saints, Admiral Spartans, and Fighting Irish, if you're available, stop over at 8:00. light snacks provided and there'll be a cash bar. >> Now, did you say those names in alphabetical order or I just wanted to make sure I was >> I'm sorry I did that wrong. Saints Steelman. >> So, anybody who's alumni of Lorine City Schools, you're welcome to join us. >> Um, the
008other thing I'd like to mention is we also have the new the Titan shop that is reopened again for orders. um if anybody's interested is located on the district website. Um and it'll be open until October 24th. Once that's closed, then we um will send out orders. That is with lakes screen printing. So, if you have any questions, feel free to reach out to them. We've changed the um some of the items in there, so they're more geared now towards the fall and winter um season. So, now for the LEA, we are participating in the homecoming parade on October 17th. Uh we will be gently tossing out treats for the students. Um we have some other surprise things that we'll have for um adults and students. So please if you're out there community listen and
009participate. We have a good time. I know sometimes the other schools will bring their students and they'll march with us. Um we also October 29th we'll be participating in the district trunk or treat. We have about five cars that will be participating and um our librarian Calvin will be passing out books to students. Um coming up we have of course our December 13th breakfast with Santa. Our um March 8th we're doing a scholarship fundraiser pancake breakfast. So look for information on that one. We're also participating in the literature levy drop to support the levy on October 18th. And at the football game on the 17th, we will be handing out sweet treats to our adult voters to encourage um support of our issue 21 and 22 levy. And that's it for me. >> Super. >>
010Thank you for all you do, Julie. Anyone else? I will entertain a motion to approve or amend uh the meetings of the minutes of the September 22nd meeting. reserving the right not to read them. >> So moved. >> Support. >> Roll call, please. >> Dr. Bal, >> yes. >> Mrs. Nazario, >> yes. >> Mr. Ferguson, >> yes. >> Mr. Sturgil, >> yes. >> Okay. Old Any old business hearing? None. Reports and recommendations of the treasurer. >> I have the forecast presentation. >> Well, have fun. The good news lady. Since the May forecast, several major changes have impacted our district's funding. Many of these changes were discussed during the August fiscal update. When we closed fiscal year 25, revenue in lines 1.06 through 2.06 came in lower than expected, mainly due to the final SSRE transfer
011to the general fund. That transfer covered salaries and benefits from the 2021 school year when staff supported remote learning during CO. We also saw a small increase in our threshold cost reimbursement, previously called catastrophic costs, which went up by about $170,000. This program reimbures districts for highcost special education services listed in a student's IEP. As the state budget was finalized on June 30th, three state level items also impacted our forecast. First, our per pupil supplement increased by about $155,000 or roughly $27 per student. Second, about $900,000 in proposed state house funding was not included in the final budget. And most significantly, supplemental targeted assistance was eliminated, resulting in a loss of more than $3.5 million for our district each year. Since August, three more revenue losses have been identified, totaling about $1.6 million. The Lraine
012County Commissioner's approval of the homestead and owner occupancy piggyback exemptions will reduce our revenues by about a million dollars a year. House Bill 186 will limit property tax growth to inflation, reducing revenues by almost $200,000 a year. House Bill 129 changes how levies can be renewed, limiting future growth and reducing revenues by almost $400,000 a year. Together, these changes significantly reduce expected revenue and make long-term financial planning more challenging. As we closed fiscal year 25, there were two main updates to expenditures. First, capital outlay spending was about $1.3 million lower than expected because our most recent school bus purchase was made at the start of fiscal year 26 instead of at the end of fiscal year 25. Second, we found a more efficient way to process the $7 million transfer to the permanent improvement fund
013for completed capital projects. After consulting with the ESC and legal counsel, we kept the expenses in the general fund instead of recoding them. This approach is fully compliant, poses no risk, and is considered best practice when completed within the same fiscal year. The board approved this change on June 25th. The October forecast also now includes $3.95 million in severance and incentive payments for certified staff who took part in the early payment contract along with about $3 million in other personnel changes. These include negotiated pay increases, additional pair professionals, a net reduction of seven teachers from last year, and new hires and transportation as we continue to bring more routes in house. Let's take a look at how all of these changes impact the forecast. This chart shows our four-year financial outlook based on current spending
014projections and trends and highlights key measures that show where we stand and where we're going. The green line represents total revenues, all money coming in from the state, property taxes, and other sources. Revenues declined from about $96.6 6 million in fiscal year 26 to $87.2 million in fiscal year 29. The red line shows total expenditures or all district spending. Expenses rise from about $115 million to $121 million over the same period. The purple line shows deficit spending. The difference between what the district spends and what is brought in is revenue. Each year of the forecast, the district spends more than it receives, and that gap grows from about $18 million to $34 million by fiscal year 29. The blue and orange lines show our ending cash balance, or how much money is left at the
015end of each year. Ending cash balance deficits are now projected to begin next year in fiscal year 27. The blue lines show balance without levy renewals dropping from about $7 million to negative79 million by fiscal year 29. The orange line shows the balance with renewals still declining but ending closer to $65 million. As you can see, even with renewals, state funding losses accelerate the decline in the district's cash balance. Without renewals, the district moves into deeper deficits much faster, making it harder to maintain financial stability. As we review our financial outlook, it's important to understand how the state monitors school district finances. Ohio has three levels of fiscal oversight for school districts. Fiscal caution, fiscal watch, and fiscal emergency. These steps are designed to identify financial problems early and help districts recover before the state
016has to step in. Based on our October forecast, our district may enter fiscal caution this year in fiscal year 26 as our fund balance begins to decline. By fiscal year 27, the projected deficit could trigger fiscal watch. And if no action or new revenue is secured, fiscal emergency could follow in fiscal year 28. The key message is that we still have time to act. Renewing levies, managing expenses, and planning ahead can help us stay in control and avoid state intervention. Next, let's review the status of our district's levies. The $41 million bond, first issued in 2001, will expire at the end of this calendar year, resulting in a tax decrease for our community. The 2001 classroom facilities levy, also known as the 034 maintenance fund, expired at the end of 2024, also reducing taxes for
017residents. There are two renewal levies on this November's ballot. the operating expense levy, which generates about $11 million per year, and the emergency levy, which generates about $3 million per year for the district. Both renewals come at no additional cost to taxpayers. Additionally, the district's emergency levy currently qualifies for the homestead and roll back tax exemptions, which give homeowners about a 12.5% property tax discount reimbursed by the state. If the renewal does not pass and new state laws take effect, the district would lose this funding and homeowners would lose their exemptions on this levy. Replacing the levy later could cost taxpayers more because new levies would not qualify for the same credits. Looking ahead, future forecasts will be due in February and August instead of November and May of each year. These forecasts will include
018the current budget and three-year projections rather than the five-year forecasts we've done in the past. These changes were part of the new state budget. We should also be aware that the state budget bill could change further if there are vetos or new laws passed. As we prepare for the next forecast, we will continue to review the quality and effectiveness of our programs and services, making budget adjustments as needed. We will also keep evaluating our levy status and determine when to ask voters for continuing or additional funds to support the district. Any changes in these areas may significantly impact future projections. With the forecast being a projection based on today's information, the further out we project, the more likely it is to change. With these factors in mind, our numbers will continue to fluctuate and future
019updates may look different. Through this planning process, we remain committed to transparency, collaboration, and responsible fiscal management. We will keep the community informed, involve stakeholders and decisions, and develop a plan that supports the long-term success of our students, staff, and the community. Our top priority remains providing a highquality education for students and supporting the staff who serve them. This concludes the October forecast presentation. >> Wow. >> I really appreciate the thoroughess and and clarity in your presentations. Thank you. >> Thank you. >> Um still you >> um if there aren't any questions, I have items 8.01 through 8.03 for approval. >> Support >> discussion. Um, just wanting to point out some very valuable partners doing their bits. Again, we got over $18,000 between the American Legion, Walls of Love, um, IAV and We Care Closet.
020Uh, those are just such fantastic community partners um that I can't begin to thank them enough. And I particularly want to single out the walls of love donation was $5,000 worth of socks. That was actually a donation from our students, I believe. Who? >> Noaff. >> Staff. Okay. From our staff who went to Walls of Love. um an organization run by a LCS grad uh Holly Apple Jackson and donated those to back to the district to our our students. Greatly appreciated. >> Anyone else with that? Uh roll call, please. >> Dr. Ballard? >> Yes. >> Mrs. Nazario? >> Yes. >> Mr. Ferguson? >> Yes. >> Mr. Sturgil? >> Yes. Okay. Reports and recommendations of the superintendent personnel matters. >> Okay. On behalf of Dr. Graham, uh I'd like the board to consider item 9.01. >>
021So moved. >> Support. >> Discussion. Roll call, please. >> Dr. Ballard, >> yes. >> Mr. Sturgil, >> yes. >> Mr. Ferguson, >> yes. >> Mrs. Nazario, >> I have to abstain. Okay. Uh once again on behalf of Dr. Graham like the board to consider uh items 9.02 through 9.04. >> So move support >> discussion. >> Roll call, please. >> Mr. Sturgil? >> Yes. >> Dr. Ballard? >> Yes. >> Mr. Ferguson? >> Yes. >> Mrs. Nazario? >> Yes. >> Couple more. Uh on behalf of Dr. Let the board consider items 9.05 through 9.06. >> So move support. >> Discussion. >> Roll call, please. >> Dr. Ballard. >> Yes. >> Mr. Sergil. >> Yes. >> Mr. Ferguson. >> I have to abstain. >> Mrs. Aario. >> Yes. >> And lastly in personnel, um 9.07 through 9.19. >>
022So move. support >> discussion. If you are looking at this in the public, you're going to see a lot of supplemental contracts. These are yearly obligations um for things that we fund. This is not uh out of the ordinary. Roll call, please. >> Mr. Sturgil, >> yes. >> Dr. Ballard, >> yes. >> Mr. Ferguson, >> yes. >> Mrs. Nazario, >> yes. Okay. [Applause] >> You're not done, are you? >> I'm just waiting for uh Go ahead. He's flipping through to get to the operations. >> Go ahead. There's a lot of them. >> On behalf of Dr. Graham, I'm at the board to consider uh 10.01 10.18 in operations matters. >> Support discussion. Roll call, please. >> Dr. Ballard, >> yes. >> Mrs. Nazario, >> yes. >> Mr. Ferguson, >> yes. >> Mr. Sturgil, >> yes.
023>> Boy, this was thick today. >> That's all we have on. Yeah, >> that is all we have. >> That's it. >> Uh, any new business? uh committee reports and requests from board members. Just in case members of the public might be interested, first I'd like to wish Barbie a speedy recovery and uh we had a presentation of an award for her that was scheduled for today that will be moved back to the next meeting. Get well, Barbie. Our next meeting will be Monday, October 27th at 5:00 PM right here in the board office. We'd love to see you here. And with that, I'll entertain a motion for adjournment. >> So support. >> Roll call. >> Mr. Sturgil, >> yes. >> Dr. Bal, >> yes. >> Mr. Ferguson, >> yes. >> Mrs. Nazario, >> yes.
024>> Thank you all for attending.