A miscalculation tied to Ohio's property tax overhaul, signed by Gov. Mike DeWine and enacted via House Bill 186, has left some school districts underpaid and others overpaid as the state reimburses districts for revenue lost from nearly $1.7 billion in homeowner tax credits. Greater Cincinnati districts are short more than $2 million combined, including Cincinnati Public Schools, recently placed in fiscal precaution status after a flagged deficit. Other districts, such as Monroe Local in Butler County and Lebanon City in Warren County, were overpaid by more than $1 million each. The Ohio School Boards Association says the discrepancy stems from differing calculation methods used by the state and county auditors, not administrative error, and is working with auditors on a fix.
Legislators introduced House Bill 1022 on Oct. 1 to refund overpaid taxpayers, but it does not address district-level reimbursement errors. School treasurers say the shortfalls haven't forced new budget cuts since budgets were already finalized, though several districts continue to face separate staffing reductions tied to declining property tax revenue and state aid.
