Frequently Asked Questions

1. What will the extra money be used for and why is the district requesting a levy now? 

a. The additional funds will be used for every day operating expenses.  

b. As part of the new budget bill adopted in HB110 the state funding model was changed & dictates that our local taxpayers need to contribute additional funds to the district.  

c. Funds are only provided for minimum staffing levels using statewide averages of actual staffing costs (including the number of teachers, principals, superintendents, treasurers, support staff, etc.).  

d. The new plan works to provide funding if the school does not have the wealth to raise funds locally.  The new formula uses both property values and income to determine the local funding that is possible, then determines the state’s portion.    

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e. Although the funding formula is more fair than it has ever been, it still misses the mark in some areas.  The most important miss for us is that it does not address districts with declining student enrollment.  The state’s current solution for this is to guarantee the same amount of funding as the previous year (even though costs continue to rise with inflation). 

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2.  Why is Student Enrollment Decreasing?

Student enrollment is at an all-time low.   Unfortunately, student enrollment is the largest contributor to the funding  model.   As you can see on the graph below, we are not the only school experiencing decreases in enrollment.  There are many options for education, including online schools, CCP (college dual credit), Grant Career Center, open enrollment, etc.  Our district needs to remain competitive in this world of options and continue to be a place that not only students want to go to get their education, but also want to stay.   

 

Felicity Franklin has some really great programs that we are very proud of, which our neighboring districts do not offer.  All of these programs require funding and are partially funded by the state but for us to remain competitive, we need to keep all programs that help students be successful.  

• Our Agricultural Education Program has produced a top 10 chapter in the state 

• Family Consumer Science (similar to the old Home Economics but enhanced)

• Mechanical Principles/Construction Technology/Metal Fabrication

• Pull-Out Gifted Program (many neighboring districts only offer gifted through differentialized teaching from their core teacher).   

• Top Elementary School that was recently recognized as one of the Best Elementary Schools in the Cincinnati region according to the Cincinnati Business Courier.  

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3. How many mills will be levied on the taxpayer and what will the money generated be used for?

The levy to be placed on the November 8, 2022 ballot will be for 8.9 mills and will be used for everyday operating expenses including personnel, curriculum, utilities, technology, supplies, capital, etc. This levy is an operating levy which is a general property tax on the value of all residential and business property in a school district. The last operating levy was passed more than four decades ago in 1977. 

● Fact: The two bond levies for the Elem building (1.3 Mills) and HS building (1.5 mills) were paid off and stopped being collected from the taxpayers back in 2018 and 2021. That is 2.8 mills back in the taxpayers pocket.

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4. How much money will an 8.9 mill levy generate for Felicity Schools? 

An 8.9 mill operating levy would generate an estimated $891,115 annually. Even with the passage of this levy, the district will need to continue to look for creative ways to save district dollars due to our declining enrollment & state funding.

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5. What is the term of this levy? 

This operating levy is a five year emergency operating levy.

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6. What is a mill? 

A general property tax is usually expressed in terms of “mills.” A mill is a unit of value which reflects the rate of property tax- that is, one-tenth of a percent. If you are a CAUV property owner, your calculation may look a little different.

You can use the Calculator Google Sheet below to calculate your additional taxes by day, month, or year.  Estimated Tax Calculator.

The Clermont County Auditor's official tax calculator is now available.  To see your exact tax generated from this levy:

Go to:  www.ClermontCountyAuditor.org

Go to Property Search

Type in your name, then find your property

On the left under Profile, click on "Proposed Levies for November 8 Election".

Note:  This calculator provides the annual tax estimate, not the half year amount.

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7. 8.9 mills sounds like a lot. How does this compare to other schools in the county?

8.9 mills may sound like a lot, but when broken down monthly, which is how most people pay their property taxes (with their monthly mortgage payment) it isn’t as bad as it sounds. On a property worth $100,000, 8.9 mills is $311 a year or only $25.96 a month. If the levy doesn’t pass in November, the deficit will continue to grow and is not going away. The state funding formula dictates that the local share of funding is not being collected from our taxpayers, therefore forcing us to reach out to our community for support. Recently New Richmond passed a 9.4 mill levy and Bethel passed a 7.5 mill levy. The graph below shows the amount of mills collected by all of the Clermont County school districts. As you can see, Felicity Franklin Local Schools is collecting less taxes than all the other school districts in the county (especially when considering we do not have an income tax).

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8. How many times will the Board of Education put this levy on the ballot? 

The district is prepared to continue placing a levy on the ballot until passed. The district has been saving/cutting district dollars since 2016 in preparation for tough fiscal times. Cumulatively, since 2016 we have saved the district approximately $5.2 million dollars. See the Cardinal Communication Vol. 1 2019 that is found on the district website for more detailed information (Cardinal Communications), summary shown below. 

Summary: 

● Reduced the following staff: 

○ Reduced our Middle School staff by 4 teachers (two fewer title teachers and moved 5th & 6th grade down from 4 teachers to 3 teachers 

○ eliminated one aide position and one title teacher in the elementary 

○ Reduced high school staff by two 

○ Reduced district secretary position to part time 

○ Reduced by two aides in the high school 

○ When our custodial supervisor retired in December, current staff assumed the management responsibilities for the rest of that school year, which saved the district ½ the salary & benefit expense for that position. 

○ Eliminated a part time intervention teacher in the elementary 

○ Eliminated a bus route and absorbed it into the remaining bus routes (eliminated one bus driver) 

○ Replaced 2 full time cooks with part time staff, eliminating benefits 

○ Eliminated our in-house technology coordinator position and contracted with Forward Edge to provide technology coordinator services, saving benefits. 

● Reduced professional development days for classified staff by 5 days 

● Joined the Southwestern Ohio EPC insurance group that allowed the district to enjoy no insurance premium increases for two years 

● Through negotiations with our classified union, we revamped the aide, mechanic, transportation, and custodial salary schedules to save district dollars while providing the staff a consistent step increase every year

● Eliminated high school summer school and added an in-school VLA program throughout the school year that helps students who are in jeopardy of not graduating 

● Through negotiations with our teachers’ union, we revamped the district’s teacher salary schedules to save district dollars while providing the teachers a consistent step increase every year without freezes at the top of the salary schedules. 

● Contracted with TDG to provide facilities management services only. No custodial positions were eliminated with this initiative. TDG is a company that will provide all previously contracted maintenance services, such as heating cooling, plumbing, etc., and will also provide all custodial products and  supplies. They can use their buying power to purchase supplies in bulk for their many customers. The district has no plans to outsource our custodial staffing positions. 

● Hired a substitute special education teacher in the elementary for one year, hired a substitute high school gym teacher for a year, and a substitute high school art teacher for a year, which eliminates the cost of benefits because substitute teachers are employees of Aesop, not the district. 

● Restructured a district office employee from a 260 work day employee to a 200 work day employee.

​● Entered into a shared services agreement to split costs with Bethel to transport a student to Ohio Valley Voices. ​

● Merged our Middle School into our Elementary and High School; eliminated our Middle School Principal and Middle School Secretary Position (each assigned to vacated positions).

● Reduced Desktop Engineer to Part Time

 

9. What is the difference between this levy and the levy that was on the ballot in 2010?

The 2010 levy was a 1% income tax levy. It would have generated approximately $731,000 per year for 5 years if passed. Unfortunately, our voters did not believe that an income tax was right for our district and the levy was voted down.

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10. I have heard the state will take over the district if it shows a negative cash balance and no levy has been passed. Is this true? If so, what would this look like? 

The Auditor of State (AOS) must declare a fiscal watch if the school district meets financial conditions that threaten its solvency. Within 60 days of declaration, the district must develop and submit a financial plan to eliminate the financial crisis, and the Ohio Department of Education (ODE) must evaluate the plan for approval within 30 days. Fiscal watch is declared when the forecasted operating deficit for the current fiscal year exceeds 8% of the school district’s general fund revenue. Fiscal watch provides district officials and school board control of the plan and its implementation at the local level. 

If the levy fails, the district plans to continue to try to pass the levy because the next step is Fiscal Emergency, which is when the forecasted operating deficit for the current fiscal year exceeds 15% of the school district's general fund revenue for the preceding fiscal year, and the district has not passed a levy to eliminate the deficit in the succeeding fiscal year. A Financial Planning and Supervision Commission will be created and it will assume the powers of the Board of Education (replacing the local Board of Education). This is known as the state takeover.

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What does a state takeover look like?  

The Financial Planning and Supervision Commission would begin making cuts that we may not agree with and have no power to stop. There is no emotion involved in what is best for our community.  

Examples of potential cuts and/or areas that could be impacted include:

• Sports 

• Busing for all high school students and anyone within a 2 mile radius of school

• Elimination of specials classes (art, music/Band, & physical education)

• Elimination of electives (Ag/FFA, FCS, etc.)  

• Increased class sizes (reduction in teachers)

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11. How can I register to vote?

The Board of Elections website contains all the information needed to help you get registered. 

Click here to Register to Vote.

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12.  Why did the district choose a 5 year emergency levy this time?  

The district listened to the voters and changed to a five year levy.  It is our hope that this change will allow the voters to feel that they can revisit the financial environment of the district in five years to decide if the district still needs the 8.9 mills. 

 

13.  What percent is our salaries and benefits to total expenditures?   How does that compare to other districts? 

Our salaries are predicted to make up 44.2% of total expenditures and benefits make up 18.38% of total expenditures, together totaling 62.8%.   In 2021 they totalled 73.04% of total expenditures (see chart below). 

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The chart below compares salaries by position and average experience to comparable neighboring districts.   All positions except the Superintendent and Treasurer are paid on salary schedules that have steps for years of experience. 

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14.  What is the recommended amount of cash balance (savings) that the district should have at all times?  

It is recommended that we keep 90 days cash at all times.  Most months, the district spends approximately $1,000,000 in expenditures.  That would mean the district would need $3,000,000 in cash (savings) at the minimum at all times.   

 

15.  Is the district losing grant funds when a levy is passed?  

No.  The district will not lose any grant funds when this levy is passed.  

 

16.  How are the recent renovations to the roof and playground being funded? 

The roof and playground are definitely showing their ages, but we are very fortunate that we are able to use COVID grant money to pay for the renovations for these two projects as well as an HVAC project and other projects that fit within the COVID guidelines of the federal grant.   We are able to renovate the playground as part of an outdoor learning space component of the grant.  If any district funds are used in addition to the COVID federal grant to support these projects, these dollars will come from the permanent improvement fund which can only be spent on assets that have a life greater than five years.  Examples of permanent improvement assets that have a life greater than five years are buildings, parking lots, buses, etc.  Permanent improvement levies can not be used for the daily expenses of the school district including salaries, utilities, supplies, etc. 

 

17.  Did it cost the district to put a levy on the ballot in November?  

No.

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18.  What is the Student to Teacher ratio at Felicity compared to other districts? 

Clermont Northeastern - 21:1

Georgetown - 20:1

Williamsburg - 20:1

Bethel-Tate - 19:1

Felicity-Franklin - 16:1

Ripley - 14:1

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19.  What is our prior three year average expenditures compared to other districts? 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

20.  What is the district’s graduation rate and what is the percentage of students that graduate and attend a two or four year college/university?

The previous five year average graduation rate is 89.1%, and the percentage of Felicity Franklin graduates that attend a two or four year college or university in the past five years has averaged 40.4%.     Of those that attended a college or university in the past five years, they have averaged receiving over $1.3 million in scholarships.

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21.  What does the district plan to “cut” if the levy fails? 

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