Cleveland Public School - Home of the Clippers

On November 5, voters in the Cleveland Public School District will be asked to support an operational referendum to increase revenue by $750 per pupil, with adjustments for inflation, for each of the next ten years, to support the day-to-day operations of the school district.

Like the majority of school districts across the state and country, Cleveland Public Schools needs the support of local citizens to maintain the high-quality programs and services in order to continue building future leaders.

• The cost to educate students increases every year due to inflation

  and increasing state and federal mandates. The primary revenue

  source a school district has comes from the state funding formula.

  This per student reimbursement has not kept pace with

  inflation, forcing school districts to do more with less.

• From 2020 – 2023 school districts received additional funding to

  support educational efforts due to COVID-19. These funds, known

  as ESSER (Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief)

  funds are no longer available.

• The 2022-23 legislative session added mandates including:

  additional course requirements, paid Family Medical Leave,

  unemployment, discipline requirements, and mandated teacher

  training. All of these requirements cost additional money, which

  the state is not providing.

• In recent years the District has used fund balance (cash on hand) to

  balance the budget. This practice is not sustainable and no longer

  an option as a fund balance is needed to pay monthly bills and

  meet the school board’s required fund balance policy.

• Cleveland Schools receives $138 less per student than the average

  of our 9 neighboring school districts and $362 less per student

  than the state average.

Additional $500,000 Per Year Needed

Additional funding is needed to maintain the District’s programs and services. The primary way a school district can increase operating revenue is through an operating levy. The proposed increase of $750 per pupil will generate an additional $500,000 per year. This would balance the District’s budget and maintain programs and services.

These funds have provided high-quality learning experiences for Cleveland students including:

• Maintaining class sizes

• Career and Technical Education courses

  including the trades, agricultural programs,

  small engine, and automotives

• College in the Schools (CITS) courses

• Support programs for students who have

  difficulty learning

• Project-based learning in Science,

  Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM)

• Music and Fine Arts offerings

• Co-curricular and

  extra-curricular activities to

  enhance the classroom

  experience

We want to ensure that these quality programs and services continue!