NORTH COLLEGE HILL, Ohio — On Wednesday, students from North College Hill Elementary enjoyed a field trip to Eden Park for Kids' Dance Day. But soon, activities like this one may not be possible for North College Hill students.
“For our student field trips, all those will be cut because we won’t be able to afford not only admission anywhere, but also transportation for our students,” said Dr. Eugene Blalock, the superintendent of North College Hill City Schools.
Blalock says the district has lost more than $6 million in funding from the state, leading to a budget shortfall of more than $2 million. That’s why the district put the 1.25% income tax levy on the Ohio primary ballot, but 56% of voters voted against the levy.
WATCH: North College Hill superintendent discusses what cuts will likely need to be made after levy fails
“The levy was really supposed to stop the bleeding,” Blalock said.
The district has already cut $2.1 million from its budget for next school year, including layoffs of 18 teachers and 5 staff members.
For this next round of cuts, which will be for the 2027-2028 school year, Blalock says everything is on the table, including extracurriculars.
In recent months, there have been several instances of juvenile violence in North College Hill. When we spoke to residents about those safety concerns, many of them said they believed it was because there was virtually nowhere safe and productive for students to go after school. Leading them to hang out on the streets and get into trouble.
We asked Blalock about the impact that losing extracurriculars would have on not only the students but the community as well.
“The schools are the hub, so if we lose our extracurricular activities… I think it’s gonna continue to affect what’s going on in the city, you know, idle mind or idle hands is dangerous,” Blalock said.
More teacher cuts could also be coming to the district. Third-grade North College Hill Elementary teacher Renee Mahon told us that deeply concerns her.
“There’s a lot of uncertainty about how are we gonna do what we do now, with the loss of so many teachers,” Mahon said.
Mahon says fewer teachers will lead to larger class sizes. She’s worried this will prevent teachers from forming personal connections with their students, furthermore impacting their academics.
“If you can’t connect with your student, they’re not gonna want to learn, they’re not gonna want to be there,” Mahon said.
The district says it will be putting the same levy back on the ballot in November. If that one fails, Blalock says all after-school programs will likely be cut.
“We need our parents, our family members to step up and understand that without their support, we will never pass a levy, so we need them to come out and vote,” Blalock said.
He added that only around 1,300 people voted for the levy in Tuesday’s election. He says there are 1,300 students enrolled in North College Hill Schools. Blalock said if every family came out and voted on Tuesday, he believes the levy would have passed.
