At the Feb. 4, 2026, regular meeting of the Elyria Board of Education, Board Members approved a $9 million reduction plan in response to severe financial challenges facing Elyria City School District. These challenges stem from ongoing and catastrophic underfunding of public education by the state, losses in local revenue and the failure of two identical school levy requests in 2025 that were brought forward to prevent deep cuts and to preserve current staffing levels and services.
Financial pressures have continued to grow. The reduction plan, presented by Superintendent Ann Schloss and Treasurer Colleen Aholt, is necessary to address an immediate budget shortfall. However, it is important to be clear: these cuts do not solve the underlying problem. The district will continue to face serious budgetary challenges in the years ahead without meaningful state funding reform.
Staffing reductions make up the largest portion of the plan. The plan also outlines larger class sizes, reduced services and transportation.
Like many school districts across the state, Elyria is facing rising costs that are largely outside of its control, including transportation, utilities and state-mandated services. At the same time, state funding has not kept pace with these costs, leaving school districts to absorb the difference.
District and Union leadership are united in calling for comprehensive state tax and school funding reform. The current funding system places an unsustainable burden on local taxpayers, shifts responsibility to districts and puts public education at ongoing risk.
Our commitment to a high-quality education for every student remains unchanged. However, without state-level funding reform, Elyria Schools and districts across Ohio will continue to make similar difficult reductions that directly affect students and communities.
The approved budget reduction plan can be found here.