ORWELL – State caps on revenue growth for public school districts have forced the administration at Grand Valley Local Schools to make some tough choices for personnel, according to remarks made during a Monday, Aug. 24, Board of Education meeting.
Several teachers from the elementary school attended the meeting to press the board to rethink a decision by Superintendent Dr. Willima Nye to move Beth Hylton, the art teacher at the elementary school, to teach a fourth section of kindergarten.
Kim Hein, kindergarten teacher, asked the board why the change was made so late, with kindergarten classes set to begin the next day.
Hein also took issue with replacing Hylton with a paraprofessional to teach art, noting that this person didn’t have the appropriate training in lesson planning and classroom management.
The changes cause disruption to the learning environment at the elementary school, she said.
Hylton said after teaching 2nd grade at Grand Valley Elementary for 21 years, moving to teach art five years ago was “freeing.” She said she’d love to stay on as an art teacher, but acknowledged the decision was “out of [her] hands.”
After a brief executive session, Dr. Amanda Dolan, board president, said that Nye and Principal Kurtis Fisher had made the right move to balance student needs against a constrained budgetary situation
She apologized for the move being made so late, explaining that the administration had to wait until kindergarten enrollment packets had come in before they knew for certain a fourth section was necessary.
Making these sorts of internal personnel moves has allowed the district to balance its budget for the 2027/2028 school without making staff cuts. Initially the district faced a $1 million shortfall.
Nye said Hylton is a great teacher, but the district can’t afford additional personnel expenditures.
Tahnee Gruskiewicz, treasurer, presented the district’s financial forecast, which she characterized as a “living document,” or a “snapshot.”
District revenues are projected to be flat over the course of the forecast, ending with 2031, owing to H.B. 186 and 335 which cap and lock in revenues to the 2022 assessment as costs continue to rise
Gruskiewicz said these two laws are likely to cost the district $734,000 in property tax revenue.
According to the report, 2026 total revenues are $14 million, while 2031 projections are $14.2 million. This is balanced against 2026 total expenditures of $13.8 million, with 2031 projections at $15.9 million.
If the funding picture remains unchanged, Grand Valley Local schools will face a $1.76 million deficit in 2031, according to Gruskiewicz.
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