Explaining the Funding Issue for School Facilities

In truth there is a funding challenges that our school district is facing when it comes to maintaining and updating our facilities. It's important for all of us to understand why our school district does not receive enough funding from local and state sources, and why we need to consider voting for a bond issue to address these challenges.

Local, State, and Federal Revenue for Cleveland Schools.

Cleveland Schools is lucky enough to receive an estimated budgeted $17,000,000 in revenue this school year for our students and campus. We will spend approximately $13,000,000 in fixed costs, $500,000 in transportation and textbooks, and $1,000,000 in Child Nutrition. That does not leave much room for general classroom supplies, technology, or maintenance of facilities. Unfortunately, our school district does not receive sufficient funding from annual sources to adequately maintain and update our facilities. This lack of funding has resulted in aging infrastructure and limited resources for our students and educators. The current funding model does not fully meet the needs of our student population and the increasing demands for modern educational facilities.

In short, Cleveland Schools has historically needed and called up on our community to help provide our students with the facilities and campus they deserve. That need is more important today, than ever before.

The Need for a Bond Issue

The condition of our school facilities directly impacts the learning environment for our students. Outdated facilities can hinder our ability to provide a safe, healthy, and conducive learning environment for our students. Adequate funding is crucial to ensure that our students have access to modern resources, technology, and facilities that support their academic and extracurricular activities. To address these challenges, we are considering a bond issue that will provide the necessary funding to upgrade and maintain our school facilities. By voting for the bond issue, we can invest in the future of our students and ensure that they have access to high-quality educational environments.

When could this take place?

The school is actively searching for architectural and construction partners to help us facilitate this process. We intend on embarking on a several months long journey of listening to our staff, students, and community to finalize the prioritization of our needs. This will allow us to determine what needs we will need to ask the community's assistance on in a bond issue. Our tentative plan is the finalize this bond issue by mid November with a tentative vote in January 2025.