State Funding to Mentor Schools Could Remain Flat

Mentor Schools is expected to receive the exact same amount in state funding in 2014 and 2015 as it did this year.

The district will get nearly $12.6 million in each of the next two years, according to preliminary numbers from the Ohio Department of Education. The district with an estimated student count of 8,138 is one of several across the state that could see a 0.0 percent change in funding.

These numbers are from Gov. John Kasich's budget proposal, and could change some as the state legislature haggles out a final budget deal.

Mentor Schools posted a statement on its website deeming Kasich's plan "exciting," but cautioned that previous cuts still affect the district to this day.

"Regardless of the new budget, Mentor Schools still faces funding challenges from previous cuts by the state of an accumulated $32 million since the 2005-2006 school year," the statement reads.

The statement continued:

While we do not have enough details to fully understand the impact of the proposed plans at this time, administrators look forward to learning more when the governor releases his state budget next week.

The district will then closely monitor the budget process over the next several months to determine how the changes will affect the Mentor Public Schools community.