AVON LAKE, Ohio — As the fight for school funding continues across Ohio, several local districts are making tough decisions after voters rejected ballot issues that would have helped cover operating expenses, as well as new construction and renovation costs.
That’s the case for Avon Lake City Schools, where leaders have already decided to raise pay-to-participate fees for all athletics next school year.
Erieview Elementary, which has the district’s lowest enrollment, is slated to close at the end of this school year.
The district has also increased the tuition for its all-day kindergarten offering from $2,400 this school year to $6,280 for the next school year.
Avon Lake Parents React
Parents wanting the all-day option must pay a $600 down payment, followed by ten monthly payments of $568. A discount is offered to students who qualify for free or reduced lunch.
“When you learned about the increase, was it surprising that it raised that much?” I asked Katie Nally, a mother of four whose youngest child, Sophia, starts kindergarten next school year.
“Well, yeah—we’ve been paying $2,400 to send our kids to kindergarten. All three of my older kids have done this, and so $6,000 was just kind of steep,” Nally said.
Like her three older siblings, Nally had planned for Sophia to attend all-day kindergarten, but she said those plans could change.
“You're willing to pay what you need to pay,” Nally said. “But I'm a stay-at-home mom. So, I was thinking, is that really even worth it to us?"
Kindergarten Requirements in Ohio
In Ohio, only half-day kindergarten is required. Parents can choose an all-day option if available, but public school districts can charge tuition.
Large urban districts like the Cleveland Metropolitan School District and Akron Public Schools offer free all-day kindergarten and receive more funding from the state.
Some districts that charge tuition for all-day kindergarten include Westlake City Schools, which is keeping its rate at $2,500 for next school year.
In Avon Local Schools, the tuition for all-day kindergarten will remain at $2,300 for the next school year.
Similarly, the Brecksville-Broadview Heights City School District will keep its all-day kindergarten tuition at $2,900 for the upcoming school year.
In Rocky River City Schools, tuition for all-day kindergarten is going up by $150 next school year to $3,650.
Avon Lake City Schools Superintendent Weighs In
Joelle Magyar, superintendent of Avon Lake City Schools, said the district is continuing to examine the budget in the wake of voters turning down the bond and levy that appeared on the November 2024 ballot, and she was upfront about what could happen in that scenario.
“There isn't probably an area of our organization that has been untouched by looking at reductions and changing the way we do business so that we make sure that we stay fiscally responsible to our community,” Magyar said. “No one likes to be in a situation where we have to cut any type of programming or increase costs to families at all."
“Have you taken any concerned calls or inquiries about full-day kindergarten since the information has come out?” I asked her.
“Absolutely. And we understand, we empathize, and we sympathize with those parents," Magyar said.
Initially, Magyar stated that all-day kindergarten would be eliminated because, as the district notes, tuition only covers about 40% of costs. But Magyar said parents expressed their concerns.
“We had some parents who came back to us and said, ‘Please offer a full-day option. We want our kids to stay in Avon Lake,’” Magyar said. “And we said the only way that we could actually have a full-day option available is if it was fully funded by the parents. The parents came to us and said, ‘We don’t care, please have a full-day option for our kids.’”
A Lottery May Occur
Magyar said this year, there are 189 kids enrolled in all-day kindergarten.
The number will be capped at 120 next school year, and if there are more applicants than spots, a lottery will be held in mid-March.
Some Parents Working on Backup Plans
Jordana Revella's daughter, Fiona, is gearing up for kindergarten next school year.
“The school district in Avon Lake has always been very good, very well-regarded (and) gets good scores,” Revella said. “You kind of plan ahead, thinking, okay, when I'm done with the daycare, here are the things that I can do now.”
However, she said the higher tuition will likely cause her family to postpone big purchases, and she’s heard from other parents who are worried about the financial implications.
On top of that, Revella mentioned that she and other parents, especially those who work full-time, are banking on their kids getting a seat in the all-day kindergarten program; otherwise, they face potentially more expensive options, like private school or a combination of half-day kindergarten and some form of childcare.
Optimism About the Future
Revella and Nally remain optimistic about taxpayers and the district being able to come to a financial common ground to address needs and wants.
“You feel for both sides. At least I do. I understand there's a lot of people who live in this community who don't have kids in school, but there's also a really important part that the schools play,” Revella said. “I can't imagine something that's more important to property values and more important to incentivizing people to move to a city than the school district.”
She added, "You start to hear these stories when my kid’s at school saying that there's no heat in the gym right now, there's water leaking in their classroom, and the radiator heat gets so hot that even though it's the middle of winter, they have to take off their sweatshirts because it's so warm. So, you start to think, you know, can't we do a little bit better for our kids here?”
Nally said, “There's a big correlation between the value of your school and what you're able to put into your city. We want a good school system. We've got children to send through it. People have been fortunate to send their children through it. With these changes that are happening, I don't want to put it on the kids.”
May Ballot Issues
The Avon Lake City School District Board of Education voted in late January to put an $88 million bond issue and a $3 million operating levy on the May 6, 2025, ballot.
The district stated that if passed, the bond would allow for constructing a new facility for grades 5 through 8 and repairing existing elementary buildings. This would cost taxpayers approximately $96 per year for each $100,000 of county auditor appraised home value.
The district also noted that the operating levy would generate $3 million annually for 10 years, costing taxpayers approximately $69 per year for each $100,000 of county auditor appraised home value.
Combined, if passed, the two issues would cost Avon Lake taxpayers approximately $165 per year for each $100,000 of county auditor appraised home value.
The first option would include an $88 million bond issue and a $3 million operating levy to build a new grade 5-8 middle school while repairing existing K-4 elementary schools. This would cost property owners an estimated $165 per $100,000 of appraised home value.
The latest proposals are scaled-down and less costly than those that appeared on the November 2024 ballot. Last year’s requests, had they passed, would have cost taxpayers approximately $414 per year for each $100,000 of county auditor appraised home value.
