School Finance 101

Ohio funds schools through a complex formula that has been repeatedly changed by the state legislature.  Each district’s funding formula is different so I wanted to share how CNE is funded by the state and local taxpayers. 

Sources of Revenue Over Time

Major Funding Sources:

The Clermont Northeastern School District has three major funding sources:

  • State Funding - 28%
  • Local Property Taxes - 32%
  • Local Income Tax - 25%

The remaining 15% of revenue is generated from public utility personal property tax, restricted state funding, property tax reimbursements, and miscellaneous other revenues.

What This Means for CNE:

 The community bears the burden of funding roughly 60% of the daily operating budget for the district.  We are incredibly grateful for the community’s generous support of our students.  The taxes contributed by the community help support our operating budget - employee salaries, busing, athletics, contracts, utilities, etc.  The current funding structure does not leave a lot of extra money that can be used for capital improvement projects (roofs, parking lot upgrades, fieldhouses, turf fields, etc); extensive renovations, new buildings, or any major upgrade, etc. 

Predictions

The administration works very hard to keep spending within our budget and plan for long-term capital improvement needs.  This year we were able to transfer $1.2 million from our operating cash reserves to our capital improvement budget to replace the Middle School roof.  This was a desperately needed improvement, but unfortunately, we are not in a financial position to make these types of improvements every year.  We are constantly looking for grants or other funding sources that can be used to improve the district’s facilities or provide better learning opportunities for our students.

For more information, please refer to the Treasurer and Finance page of the district’s website, or contact Treasurer, Kathy Neuner.