The Mariemont City Schools Board of Education has taken a proactive step to ensure the district's financial stability by unanimously adopting a Budget Reduction Plan, which will be implemented if the 5.95-mill operating levy on the November 5, 2024, ballot does not pass. This plan reflects the Board's ongoing commitment to fiscal responsibility and maintaining high-quality educational programs within the district.
This is the district’s first levy in six years after stretching funding by securing grants, containing healthcare and maintenance/utility costs and making strategic and continued reductions totaling $1.2 million.
If approved by voters, the $3.1 million generated annually from this levy will be used exclusively for day-to-day operations, maintaining the district’s financial health, and supporting the current educational programs that have long been a hallmark of Mariemont City Schools. Homeowners would see an increase of $208 per $100,000 of home value.
Should the levy fail, the district will need to be ready to enact cuts beginning in the 2025-2026 school year in order to balance the budget. Districts are required by law to maintain a balanced budget, regardless of rising costs and diminishing state support.
“I want to stress that this plan has not been presented to the Board to cause panic or anxiety,” added Steven Estepp, superintendent of Mariemont City Schools. “This is simply to plan for the potential of both election outcomes and maintain both our fiduciary responsibilities and core services required by state and federal laws and mandates.”
Budget reductions would total approximately $1.2 million in the first year (2025-2026) and have wide-ranging impacts across the district, including:
- Elimination of classroom instructional aides in elementary classrooms
- Reduction of specials/electives for elementary students
- Reductions in art, STEM, music and other electives at the junior high and high school
- Elimination of 7 additional teacher and administrative/support positions
- Increases in pay-to-play and facility rental fees
- No base pay increases for district staff
Further reductions, totaling approximately $1.9 million, would follow in the 2026-2027 school year, including:
- Reduction in course offerings at the junior high and high school
- Increased class sizes at the elementary level
- Elimination of office aides in all schools
- Reduction in counseling & mental health support
- Elimination of 15 additional teachers, mental health/counseling support and administrative/support positions
- Reduction in experiential learning opportunities
- Elimination of all field trips
- Reduction in extra-curricular clubs/programs and athletic programming
- Reduction in purchased services, supplies, subscriptions, and resource budgets
- No base pay increases for staff.
The Board’s action in adopting this plan underscores the nature of the upcoming levy, the reliance on local funding for schools in Ohio, and the difficult decisions that must be made should it fail.
Residents are encouraged to review the Budget Reduction Plan in detail, along with the Frequently Asked Questions, available on the district’s website at
www.mariemontschools.org. For additional questions, community members can contact the district’s Treasurer/CFO using the contact information provided on the website.