Wildcat Wallet: Your Summer Friday Finance Update
Dear Wildcat Families and Supporters,
On behalf of Deer Park Schools, we want to extend our heartfelt gratitude for your unwavering support and advocacy throughout the recent state budget process. Because of your involvement—whether through contacting lawmakers, attending meetings, or staying engaged in the conversation—Ohio’s finalized budget includes several key provisions that benefit our district and public education overall.
Thanks to this advocacy, we were able to achieve some important outcomes:
- The funding guarantee for districts like Deer Park was preserved, helping us avoid deep cuts in state aid.
- The proposed cap on district cash reserves was removed, maintaining our ability to respond to future needs responsibly.
- A modest increase in state funding for stable, high-performing districts was included, giving us limited—but welcome—additional support.
These are meaningful developments, and they are a direct result of a community that speaks up and stands together. However, it is important to balance this good news with fiscal reality.
We Are Still Deficit Spending
Despite these legislative victories, Deer Park Schools continues to operate in a deficit spending situation, meaning we are spending more than we receive in revenue. While the updated state budget offered some relief, it did not close the funding gap.
In preparation for the 2025–2026 school year, the district worked very hard to strategically reduce expenditures across the district by more than $800,000. These reductions were carefully planned to avoid impacting student programming and minimize the effect on class sizes. These reductions were made primarily through reducing the number of staff members through attrition, which includes the reduction of six teaching positions and 1 administrative position. We are proud of our ability to preserve the student experience, but we recognize that we cannot cut our way to long-term financial stability.
Operating Levy on the November Ballot
To maintain the quality of our academic programs, staffing, and student services, Deer Park Community City School District Board of Education voted to place a 6.9-mill operating levy on the ballot this November. This levy will allow Deer Park schools to continue offering all of the high level and unique programming that the community deserves and has come to expect. This includes programming such as our full day kindergarten at no additional cost to families, excellent gifted services at our elementary school, the Deer Park Career Academies at our Jr/Sr High School, extra-curriculars such as band and athletics at very reasonable rates and much, much more.
We remain committed to operating with transparency, fiscal responsibility, and a focus on what matters most—our students. The months ahead will require continued partnership as we work together to protect the future of Deer Park Schools.
With appreciation,
Jeff Lewis
Treasurer
Deer Park Community City School District
Jay Phillips
Superintendent
Deer Park Community City School District
Jim Stoll
Incoming Superintendent
Deer Park Community City School District