Ohio's state school board is running out of money, may not make payroll by June

COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) – Ohio’s state board of education is facing a “clear and present danger:” It’s running out of money.

At least, that’s how the board's new superintendent described it to the board during its January meeting. The state school board is facing a $2 million budget shortfall by the end of next fiscal year – a hefty sum to overcome considering the board’s $15 million annual budget.

“As we get into that June timeframe, we’ll probably not be able to make payroll,” Paul Craft, state superintendent, said. “That’s worrisome. Maybe, if we’re very, very careful, that can be July.”

The fate of the board’s finances, Craft said, will likely depend on the flow of money from licensing and renewals. Overseeing licensing is one of the few tasks the school board has retained after most of its powers were stripped in the state’s biennial budget.

The state board is already understaffed, Craft said. As its finances currently stand, the board does not have the funds to hire a communications director, chief legal counsel or an executive assistant for the superintendent.

“If I could afford to hire an executive assistant, I would be glad to give you her name,” Craft said. “But as of right now, that’s not a position that I see us being able to fill.”

It is the state budget, Craft admitted, that has left the board without enough money. It happens from time to time, he said, noting that greater funding for the board as proposed by Gov. Mike DeWine was eliminated by the Senate. 

The Senate’s budget version also cemented the transfer of most of the school board’s powers, including rulemaking and curricula evaluation, to a governor-appointed position. A lawsuit seeking to block the transfer of powers, accusing the legislature of effectively eliminating the constitutionally required state board of education, remains ongoing in Franklin County court.

“They want to put us out of business, and I think that’s very plain and clear that that’s what’s happening,” Meryl Johnson, an elected board member representing the Cleveland area, said.

Addressing the budget shortfall is one of Craft’s main priorities in his first year in the role – Jan. 8 was his first board meeting as superintendent. Other priorities he laid out included building trust in the school board to perform its duties in a timely, professional manner; rebuilding relationships with stakeholders, including DeWine’s office, the legislature, the Department of Education and Workforce and relevant associations; meeting individually with every board employee in his first 100 days; and returning to school to complete his doctoral dissertation.

Member John Hagan, elected to represent the Alliance area, told Craft he thought the new superintendent’s priorities were good initial goals, for the most part.

“As far as your continuing education, I would hope that that’s the lowest priority on your list, because I think you have a lot to do here and probably won’t have a lot of spare time,” Hagan said.