Canton schools has long considered closing buildings to adjust to declining enrollment. Now, those plans appear to be a reality for the district.
"We realized in 2020, you know... six years ago now, that we were no longer as big as we used to be," said superintendent Jeff Talbert. "We needed to make changes and we started out on a plan to do that."
Recent state and federal cuts have sped up their timeline, according to Talbert. The district lost $4.35 million per year in state funding designated for urban schools. Lawmakers previously argued the funding, called "supplemental targeted assistance," was meant only as a temporary fix to help urban schools after changes to Ohio's school funding model years ago.
The consequences of the loss of that funding are significant, Talbert said. The district is projecting its cash balance will be empty by the end of the 2028-2029 school year. The district is now required to submit a budget reduction plan to the state.
Talbert envisions closing three elementary schools, shuttering several other district buildings, and moving students to two new elementary buildings using proceeds from a 2023 bond issue approved by voters.
Talbert added the district will cut 30 teaching positions, but that can be done by not filling vacant positions. Cutting at least 10 administrative positions, about 10% of the district's total administration staff, will be more difficult, according to Talbert. Four or five of those positions will likely need to be layoffs if staff don't voluntarily leave in the coming months.
"I'm going to have to look (at) our people, our family members, and let them know that your ability to make your livelihood and do the thing that you want to do for us, you're not going to be able to do it, and that is one of the toughest parts of the job that I have here," Talbert said.
Urban school districts like Canton have seen enrollment drop significantly in the last 25 years. Canton's enrollment is down almost half, from 13,179 students in 2000, according to state data. But Talbert says costs of educating students have not gone down with the decrease in population.
"When you're saying to us that, 'hey, these kids all left your school,' yep, they all left our school," Talbert said. "But the ones who are coming to us are ones that even have higher needs because the vouchers that you're sending to the parochial (schools), they're not taking our special education kids."
School districts in Ohio are also responsible for providing bus transportation for private and charter schools, an expense the state doesn't adequately compensate, according to Talbert.
When asked about the consequences of state cuts, Republican State Representative Jane Timken, who represents Canton, noted the district had $41 million in reserves. But Talbert said the district achieved those reserves by being frugal, cutting unneeded positions each year, and planning smartly in case state funding cuts did come.
Canton Teachers Union President Paul Palomba said the state is not prioritizing public school funding, pointing to recent expansions in vouchers for public schools. He said that's to the detriment of public schools.
"You're going to gain class sizes, so the students aren't getting the attention that they deserve," Palomba said of consolidating and cutting costs. "And then you got to start looking at things that we offer that are extras, the robust arts program that we have, the robust athletic program that have."
