Worth Knowing
Community members can now vote on one of four options for the 2026-2027 school district calendar. Voting will be open until Friday, April 18th.
For the 2026-2027 Options:
- A - The first day is Aug. 12 & Spring Break is March 22 - 26
- B - The first day is Aug. 19 & Spring Break is March 22 - 26
- C - The first day is Aug. 12 & Spring Break is March 29 - April 2
- D - The first day is Aug. 19 & Spring Break is March 29 - April 2
Go to www.worthington.k12.oh.us/calendarvote to enter your pick!
- The Ohio House Budget proposal would require Worthington Schools to return $79 million in taxpayer-approved funds—threatening long-term financial stability.
- While promoted as “property tax relief,” the plan merely delays tax collection and could accelerate the need for new levies.
- The proposal may override local voter decisions, raising serious legal and governance concerns about local control.
Recently, some Ohio legislators have promoted the idea that the Ohio House Budget provides “property tax relief” for families. While that may sound appealing, the reality is more complicated. In fact, this proposal is more about deferring taxes than providing true relief—and it has the potential to destabilize school districts like Worthington City Schools.
Here’s why.
Let’s start with our district’s current financial picture. According to our five-year forecast, Worthington City Schools had a cash balance of $133.8 million in Fiscal Year 2024, with expenditures of $180.6 million. That means our cash balance covers about 74% of that year’s spending—well above the 30% threshold the Ohio House has deemed acceptable.
Under the proposed state budget, our district would be required to refund $79 million of that cash balance back to taxpayers.
You might ask, “What’s wrong with that?”
The issue is timing. While Worthington currently has a healthy fund balance, our forecast shows that we’ll begin deficit spending next year. Revenues are staying flat, while costs are slowly increasing—by about 3-5% each year. That’s a typical growth rate for a district our size, but it means that over time, we’ll need to draw from our cash balance.
Right now, we’re in a strong enough financial position to stay off the ballot for new taxes until 2028, and also likely pursue an incremental levy.
But if we’re forced to return $79 million next year? That changes everything.
We’d likely need to go to voters two years earlier, in 2026. And if we delay, we may no longer be able to pursue a gradual levy in 2028—because by that time, our expenditures are projected to exceed revenues by $22 million, and we’d no longer have the reserves to support a phased approach.
So let’s be clear: this proposal doesn’t offer real tax relief. It simply delays when taxes are collected. In the long run, you’ll pay the same amount—but the impact on school district stability could be immediate and significant.
And here’s perhaps the most troubling part: the Ohio legislature may not even have the legal authority to do this.
Locally approved tax levies—like those passed by Worthington voters—are governed by a specific legal process. The State doesn’t have blanket authority to repeal those levies. Overriding the will of local voters sets a dangerous precedent and undermines local control.
At Worthington Schools, we’re committed to being good stewards of taxpayer dollars, and we’ve worked hard to maintain a stable financial future without going back to voters too often. This proposal threatens that stability—not just for us, but for public schools across the state.
OTHER LINKS:
In Worthington Schools, we have long understood the importance of “community.” We’ve known the importance of carefully assembling a community, specifically a school community, where our shared values of respect, kindness, friendship and commitment to a mission bigger than ourselves connected all of us despite our differences.
The Worthington School Community includes you and me - it's all of us who make up Worthington Schools - students, teachers, staff, parents and community members who work together to support students’ learning and success.
We know that when people are engaged in a school community, we’re more likely to see students’ academic performance increase, a greater sense of belonging, more positive relationships between students, between students and teachers, and between teachers and families. Our students' mental and emotional health improves as well as their overall well-being. Over time, they become confident in their ability to master the durable skills of our Portraits of a Learner.
As our north star, our mission to “empower a community of learners who will change the world” guides us in our unwavering commitment to supporting and engaging with our students and families, who are the core of our diverse learning community.
While we accept the winds of change in the public education landscape, we do so with hope. And we stand with confidence, knowing that the seeds of love and belonging that have been firmly planted over the last five years can and will thrive! And just like a plant whose roots run deep and are securely grounded, our roots also run deep and are resilient.
With anti-DEI legislation pending in both the Ohio House and Ohio Senate, we have decided to sunset the Department of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. Yet, in doing so, we remain steadfast in making sure that each one of our 10,700 students has equal pathways to opportunities to fully engage and access the resources needed to succeed and reach their full potential.
And to our surprise, during this process, we realized we were presented with an opportunity to assess how we can build stronger and deeper relationships with students, staff and families. Thus, we have created the Department of School Community Engagement and asked Toya Spencer to lead this effort by developing and implementing a comprehensive strategy to build strong vertical alignment in family experiences that further establish and maintain relationships between the district and the school community.
READ MORE IN THE ATTACHED DOCUMENT:
First-year Principal Todd Keenan shares a new twist for your next March Madness bracket, why 4:39 a.m. is the best time to get out of bed, and how he and his staff at Worthingway Middle School show love for kids & each other through actions.
Listen in the the conversation with Todd, Angie and Jeff in the latest Worth The Journey Podcast!
