North College Hill City Schools is staring at another round of painful cuts after voters rejected the district's 1.25% earned-income levy in the May primary. District leaders say the defeat could gut after-school programs, shut down field trips, and trigger more teacher layoffs, which would swell class sizes and stretch student support services to the edge. Parents and teachers warn that those losses would strip away supervised, structured spaces for kids in a community already grappling with juvenile violence.
Vote results and looming shortfall
When the votes were counted, 56.63% of residents had said no to the levy. District officials say that outcome leaves them facing an operating shortfall of more than $2 million and what they describe as over $6 million in lost state funding. They also point out the district has already carved out about $2.1 million from next year's budget through earlier cuts. Those numbers and warnings about still-deeper reductions were reported by WCPO.
Financial picture: forecast and what the levy would have bought
The district's own voter information packet lays out what the levy would have brought in and how it would have changed the books. The 1.25% earned-income tax was projected to generate about $1.7 million in FY28 and more than $2.5 million in FY29, enough to push the fund balance back into positive territory. Without that revenue, the five-year forecast shows an ending cash balance roughly $3.0 million in the red by FY29 and around $6.7 million in the red by FY30. The flyer also lists cuts district leaders say will be necessary without a new local money stream. Those projections come from the North College Hill City Schools levy information packet.
Already trimmed: staff reductions and program threats
The belt-tightening is not hypothetical. In March, the district cut roughly $2.1 million from next year's budget, eliminating 18 teaching positions and five paraprofessional jobs. Administrators say those reductions will boost class sizes and put extra strain on special-education and intervention services, and they warn that more cuts could be on the way if voters do not approve new revenue. Coverage of this election cycle shows other nearby districts have been fighting similar battles over school funding, reflecting a wider regional squeeze in Greater Cincinnati. WVXU reported on the levy results and broader trends across southwest Ohio.
Teachers and families warn of ripple effects
Inside the schools, staff say the human impact is already keeping them up at night. Third-grade teacher Renee Mahon told reporters there is "a lot of uncertainty" about how classrooms will function with fewer teachers, and she said larger classes will make it tougher to build the one-on-one connections students need to succeed. Superintendent Eugene Blalock said the levy "was really supposed to stop the bleeding" and warned that field trips and after-school programs could be on the chopping block if the district cannot replace the lost revenue. Those concerns, along with the district's plan to bring the same measure back to voters in November, were detailed by WCPO.
What’s next for the district
District leaders say they intend to return the levy to the ballot in November and will ramp up outreach to families and voters in the meantime, even as they decide which programs and positions they can afford to shield right now. Across the region, some districts passed new levies while others fell short, setting up more funding showdowns this fall. Local outlets are tracking how those communities respond and what it might signal for North College Hill's next try. For a wider look at school levy results and how neighboring districts are reacting, see coverage from WLWT and additional reporting from WVXU.
