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The Board of Education and Administration have worked to find savings or generate additional revenue totaling an estimated $8,270,000 since 2022. More details can be found on the Fiscal Responsibility page of the website here.

The community did approve a BOND levy in 2024. The bond levy is being used to fund the building of new Kings High School, an addition to Columbia Intermediate, and other district-wide improvements. A bond levy can only be used for facilities, infrastructure, and equipment. The Operating Levy that was approved by Kings taxpayers in 2022 and the proposed earned income tax would be used to fund day-to-day operations.

The Board established TWO goals. 1) Create Long-Term Financial Sustainability and 2) Lower Property Taxes for All Residents

1. Create Long-Term Financial Sustainability.  

The goal is to find a more stable funding model for our schools that reduces the dependence on property taxes and eliminates the need for frequent operating levy votes. Because the state's school funding formula provides limited funding for Kings schools, the district must diversify its revenue sources in order to move away from the current three-year levy cycle.

Currently, our school district has to ask voters every three years to approve operating levies that help fund basic school operations. This creates an ongoing cycle where the community must repeatedly vote on additional funding for the schools. 

2. Lower Property Taxes for All Residents. The second goal is to reduce the property tax burden for every homeowner in the district through a reduction of property tax millage, providing direct financial relief to all property owners.

An earned income tax is an income tax that only applies to wages and salaries of residents of Kings. The tax would NOT apply to: pension income, Social Security benefits, Disability benefits, Capital Gains, Investment income, or other non-earned income sources

The current funding need is necessary to maintain our district's core operations, including student programs and services, day-to-day operational expenses, and competitive staff salaries and benefits that ensure our schools can continue providing quality education for our students. Stable, predictable funding is required to maintain current programming.

210 of the approximately 600 districts in Ohio had some type of income tax on 1/1/2025, per the Ohio Department of Taxation. More information from the state, including the list, can be found here.

Local districts with an Income Tax include:

Wyoming

Goshen

Clinton Massie 

Xenia

Carlisle

Talawanda  

The same ballot measure as the earned income tax also includes a 1 mill property tax reduction.

The Board has committed to reducing property taxes for our community in the future when the district has sufficient financial resources to do so. The Board and Administration are developing a resolution that would require an annual review of the district's finances to determine if property taxes can be reduced further. This review would establish specific financial benchmarks, such as having a certain amount in reserve funds or reaching particular revenue targets, that would automatically trigger additional property tax reductions when met.

Kings relies heavily on local funding rather than state support. In 2025, 75% of Kings' revenue came from property taxes and related property tax reimbursements. Because the state provides limited funding, Kings must rely on our community to help fund our schools through local tax measures.

Our community has higher-than-average incomes and property tax values, so the state’s funding formula provides less funding to Kings than other districts. 

96% of Kings spending is for staff salaries & benefits and purchased services. Purchased services are primarily made up of student transportation (bussing/vans), student services, custodial services, and utilities. 

If voters reject this ballot measure, there will be no immediate reduction in property taxes, and the district will be forced to make significant budget cuts that directly impact our students' education. Without the additional revenue from an earned income tax, the district will need to cut approximately $10 million from its budget. These cuts could mean:

• Larger class sizes due to staff reductions
• Elimination or reduction of student programs and activities
• Potential cuts to support services 

If approved, the five-year financial forecast does not show the need for additional property tax levies.