School Board President: Solving Revenue Problem is No Easy Fix

Editor's note: Charles Froehlich is the president of the Avon Lake City Schools Board of Education. He is responding in part to comment on former school board president Rob Berner's Letter to the Editor.

To the Editor:

Issue 10’s purpose is to 1) replace funding diverted to other districts and charter school thanks to lawmakers in Columbus, and 2) restore the loss of tax revenue resulting from the reduction in electricity generated and inevitable closure of the Genon power plan.

The “simple solutions” recently proposed by knowledgeable citizens to solve our District’s financial problems are perplexing. For over 20 years our elected officials in Columbus have failed to develop a sound way to fund education in Ohio. In 2000 the economy was growing—for the past five years the economy has been contracting. A stark contrast in the past 13 years. Fixing the District’s revenue problem is about as easy as predicting the weather in northeast Ohio.

Avon Lake is viewed as a “rich district.” Our “fair share” from Columbus is now less than 10% of the state average (the average district receives $5,400 per student; our District receives less than $500 per student). The state continues to divert funding from our District and provide it to poorer districts and charter schools. The power plant and electrical transmission system in Avon Lake have provided a strong tax base over the years. However, the plant is closing, thus decreasing the tax base. Our District’s funding has washed away and Columbus is not coming to the rescue.   

It is very easy to look at a consolidated financial statement, make simple assumptions, and project the future in a crystal ball. The one prediction I will make is next year our District will have more students. Statistics project that next year—like every year for the past ten years—our District will educate an additional 60 students above and beyond current enrollment. These new students may attend Avon Lake High School, Erieview or Troy and may require special education or English as a second language instruction. Issue 10 ensures that all students in our District will receive an outstanding education.      

Support Avon Lake City Schools—Support Issue 10.

Charles Froehlich

President – Avon Lake City Schools Board of Education