CH-UH SCHOOL DISTRICT PERFORMANCE AUDIT UPDATE – SEPTEMBER 2, 2020
Thank you for signing the petition requesting the CH-UH School District to undergo a Performance Audit by the State Auditor.
Today, over 1,600 residents have joined the call for a performance audit, but the District still has not initiated the process.
On July 28, 2020, the School Board voted to place a 4.8 mill levy on the November 2020 ballot.
And that’s not all…the CH-UH District's August 2020 Five Year Forecast shows a $53.2 MILLION deficit at the end of fiscal year 2025. Even if this November's levy passes, the District would likely need to place another 9 mill levy on the ballot in March 2022!
If passed, the November levy will result in CH-UH having some of the highest property tax rates in Ohio and the Nation.
On July 28, 2020, TigerNation4LowerTaxes presented the School Board with the petition and a revised five-year forecast to demonstrate that it is possible for the District to operate without additional levies. School Board President Jodi Sourini responded within a few hours with criticisms of the petition and revised forecast. She rebuffed TN4LT’s offer to work with the District, stating that she would not “engage in fake news.”
According to Board President Jodi Sourini, the District reached out to the auditor’s office and was told it could take several months to get on the schedule and then 6 months to complete the audit. She also stated that this timetable was before COVID-19, which could delay the process further. The State Auditor, however, has stated that the pandemic has not impacted their ability to conduct performance audits and has not created a backlog.
A group of 18 residents (not TN4LT) recently published an op-ed in the Heights Observer calling on the School District to fix health care spending.
· As stated in the op-ed, if the CH-UH school district’s health care contract were similar to the Shaker school district’s health care contract, it could potentially save our taxpayers more than $7 million a year.
· Please see: http://heightsobserver.org/read/2020/08/18/18-residents-call-on-chuh-school-district-to-fix-health
WE CONTINUE TO CALL ON THE CH-UH BOARD OF EDUCATION TO:
REQUEST A COMPREHENSIVE PERFORMANCE AUDIT AS SOON AS POSSIBLE COVERING ALL SIGNIFICANT AREAS OF THE DISTRICT’S BUDGET, INCLUDING BENEFIT AND PENSION COSTS, BUSING, FACILITIES, OPEN ENROLLMENT, STAFFING AND PURCHASING