The Pickerington Local School District said that it will need to make more reductions to balance the budget in upcoming years. However, district officials said those cuts could be smaller or eliminated if voters approve a 0.75% income tax levy in November.
The district already made $3.25 million in cuts after its 1.25% income tax levy failed in May.
District officials said the schools will need to make further cuts after its five-year budget forecast projected a $9.63 million net loss by 2031.
In a statement, the district listed some of the programs that are on the chopping block, including reductions of high school electives, elimination of the middle school band and orchestra, elimination of some middle school “B” teams, and the elimination of on-campus College Credit Plus classes.
“We're proud of the education that we offer in Pickerington. We believe that families move here specifically for the quality of schools, and we don't want to have to revert back towards state minimums,” Superintendent Charles Smialek told WOSU Tuesday. “Every reduction that we have to make has a negative impact on the education and the services that we can provide for students.”
Smialek said the district is carefully considering what will be cut. He also said there may be further cuts at the beginning of 2027, if the November tax levy does not pass.
“As we get further into this gap between our revenues and expenditures, cuts become deeper and deeper, and they cut into the fundamental student experience, and we want to make sure that we don't have to do that,” Smialek said. “It's really incumbent upon us to educate our folks about that from now until election day and obviously hope that folks make an educated vote.”
However the district said even if the levy passes in November, it may still face financial challenges.
The district's financial forecast also incorporates the financial impact of the new collective bargaining agreement between the schools and the Pickerington Education Association. The contract runs from July 1, 2026 through June 30, 2028.
In the first year of that contract, certified staff will receive a 1% base salary increase and a one-time stipend equal to 1% of their base salary.
