Barberton City Schools in Ohio faces a larger budget shortfall after voters rejected a proposed 1% earned-income tax that district officials said would have generated about $4.73 million a year for five years, News 5 Cleveland reported¹.

Election results showed 62.24% opposed Issue 5 and 37.76% supported it¹. The district remains under the state's most serious financial oversight, fiscal emergency¹.

Superintendent Jason Ondrus said the problems built over time rather than from a single expense, with ongoing costs exceeding available revenue¹. Officials said the district has already made about $7 million in reductions, including dozens of teaching and staff jobs, without closing the gap¹.

Leaders are reviewing further options that could include ending middle and high school athletics and extracurriculars, preschool, shrinking or consolidating career-technical programs, and possible effects on art, music, and student transportation¹. Voters also rejected an 11-mill property-tax levy in May¹.

The Ohio auditor placed Barberton in fiscal watch in May 2026 and escalated it to fiscal emergency on Sept. 22 after it did not submit an acceptable recovery plan, the station reported¹. A state-appointed Financial Planning and Supervision Commission then works with the district and has 120 days after its first meeting to develop a plan to end the emergency conditions¹.

Ondrus said after the vote that the board would assess future ballot options while working with the commission¹. Officials cited rising health-care costs, state-funding changes, inflation, and the end of federal COVID-19 relief¹. Schools remain open, the report said¹.

The commission was scheduled to meet in public at 4:30 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 5, at Barberton High School¹.

Sources

1. News 5 ClevelandBarberton Schools face potential cuts after levy defeat; state commission meeting tonight5:43 AM

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