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Chardon Presents Three-Year-Forecast: Levy is Projected in 2028

Chardon Board of Education Regular Meeting – August 17, 2026 

Meeting Details: The Regular Meeting began at 5:30 pm at the Chardon Transportation and Business Affairs Center at 400 Washington Street in Chardon. Here is the link to the available Meeting Agendas and Minutes. Click on the meetings tab on the right to access the Agendas and Minutes. The Board meeting video is available here.  Agenda items are listed according to the time that they were discussed on the video.

0:24 Min. Video Open/ROLL CALL AND WELCOME - Meeting was called to order. It was stated that this meeting is being held in accordance with Section 3313.15 of the Ohio Revised Code. 

Attendance: Board President Karen Blankenship, Board Vice President Andrea Clark, and members James Midyette, Gordon Landies, Ash Galhotra 

Staff Attendance: Superintendent Dr. Michael Hanlon, Treasurer Deb Armbruster, CHS Athletic Director Doug Higham

Others in Attendance: ThenDesign Architecture Representatives Cheryl Fisher and Jeff Henderson

1:20 Min. Adoption of the Agenda - Approved. 

The Board Presiding Officer and student leader, Chardon Early Learning Center Pre-K student, Colton Griffith, led the meeting in the Pledge of Allegiance.

Mission Statement - Read by Dr. Hanlon.

3:40 Min. Hearing of the Public - Agenda Items Only - No speaker requests.

3:45 Min. Consent Agenda - The Board considered nine items on the consent agenda, including the Minutes from the Regular Meeting of July 20, 2026 available here.   All approved unless noted otherwise. All of these items 3.1-3.16, and associated documents/contracts can be found here, then select the meeting tab, date, agenda and number three on the agenda. Highlights that may be of interest from the Consent Agenda include but are NOT limited to:

• Item 3.14 Approval of Resolution establishing school Bus Stops for the 2026-2027 school year

6:39 Min. Superintendent Report and Recommendations - Items and associated documents for 4.1-4.12 can be found here, select meetings, date, and number four on the agenda. All items, recommendations, and contracts were approved unless noted otherwise. Highlights that may be of interest from the Superintendent’s Report and Recommendations include but are NOT limited to: 

• Superintendent's Report

  • The new tennis complex was dedicated on August 11, 2026. Board and City of Chardon representatives were in attendance, as well as coaches, current/former student athletes and parents. The facility has been named the Rohr Tennis Center in honor of retired chemistry teacher Marilyn Rohr and her husband, Michael Rohr (see below).

  • ThenDesign Architecture will present (at this meeting) the latest Facilities Master Plan Presentation Update that resulted from the discussion with the Superintendent-appointed Facilities Committee.

  • The district welcomes back approximately 2,300 students on Wednesday, August 19, 2026.

  • Transportation Director, Josh Nau, will be working with BusRight to develop transportation simulations requested by the Board at the July meeting. This will be in a reduced capacity from the full proposed agreement that was not approved at the last meeting. The objective will be to develop simulations in order to have meaningful discussion with the committee that is yet-to-be-formed. 

• The Chardon Board of Education presented a special commendation to Superintendent Hanlon for winning the Martha Holden Jennings Foundation Superintendent of the Year Award for 2026.

• Chardon BOE and Athletic Director Doug Higham recognized Angelina Colombi for 8th place at the OHSAA gymnastics state meet in the uneven bars.

• 16:46 Min. Item 4.3: Presentation: Facilities Master Plan Update by ThenDesign Architecture with Representatives Cheryl Fisher and Jeff Henderson

  • Facilities Master Plan Rev6 (Microsoft PP) or Facilities Master Plan Rev6 (Google Slides)

    • Update to the cost and conditions of the facilities.

    • Update the Board Members on where TDA is in the planning process since the last presentation in July 2025.

      • Slides 6-7: Methodology of Assessments

      • Slides 8-10: General Items in each priority and completion timelines.

        • Cheryl pointed out as an example that while putting air conditioning in a building appears doable, and is often repeatedly requested, this project is bigger than expected because the buildings do not have the electrical capacity to simply add an HVAC unit–much more must be done first.

        • Functioning with the Ohio Facilities Construction Commission rules (OFCC).

      • Slide 11: Total costs of maintenance/repairs priorities.

      • Slide 12-16: Comparative costs of priorities now and when escalated by later inflation.

      • Slides 17-20: Discussion of targeted improvements in Chardon MS (Middle School) designed to improve educational adequacy and create collaborative space for learning in otherwise old buildings.

      • Slide 21: Proposed scope of work and costs in 2029. 

      • Slides 22-24 Selected maintenance/repairs included in targeted improvements of Chardon MS. Discussions about the standard of educational adequacy and meeting requirements of state when considering OFCC funding for renovation (targeted improvements) versus replacement.

      • Slides 25-30: Targeted improvements for Chardon HS and proposed scope of work.

      • Slide 31: Chardon HS targeted improvements comparison versus build as new costs.

      • Slides 32-37: reasons to consider a new consolidated PK-3 Elementary School building and possible sites.

      • Slide 38-41: Funding options. Chardon is eligible for future funding under the Expedited Local Partnership Program but this funding is approximately 5-10 years out for Chardon.

• 1:37.27 Min. Pursuant to Board of Education Policy 0166 the Board approved Resolution 2026-25: Naming the Chardon High School Tennis Complex as the Rohr Tennis Center.

• Reimbursement in Lieu of transportation 2026-2027 student list here.

• Item 4.10 Approval of School Resources Office and Security Officer Agreement here.

1:46.45 Min. Treasurer/Chief Financial Officer’s Report and Recommendations - Associated documents for 5.1-5.6 can be found here, then select meetings, date, and number five on the agenda. All approved unless otherwise noted. Some highlights of the presentation include but are NOT limited to:

• July 2026 Financial report presented by Ms. Armbruster. This is the last month of the Fiscal Year.

  • 1:53.50 Min. Topper FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions - available at the end (slides 13-15 of the above July slide presentation). This one is about College Credit Plus (CCP) participation numbers and academic outcomes.

• July 2026 AI Financial Summary A quick “snapshot” AI presentation of May financials for CLSD created by Ms. Armbruster.

• 2:00.13 Min Item 5.4: Pursuant to Board of Education Policy 0166, the Chardon Board of Education approved Resolution 2026-30 available here: Authorizing Conversion of 1.0 mill of an Unvoted Permanent Improvement Levy General Levy for Current Expenses. This shift does not increase taxes, it simply shifts taxes from the Permanent Improvement Fund to the General Fund beginning with 1/2 mill in 2027 and one fill mill in 2028 and after. Discussion of explanatory charts below.

  • Charts to Show Effect of One (1 ) Mill Move

• 2:05.40 Min.   Five-Year Forecast August 2026 Presentation  See Item 5.5 for additional chart and pdf reports and assumptions to be uploaded to state.

  • Expenses are outpacing revenue.

  • 64.5% of funds are prioritized for direct student instruction and support services.

  • Local property taxes provide 74% of revenue.

  • Slide 2: Explanation of forecast methodology

  • Slide 3: Important to note information

  • Slide 4-5: August 2026 forecast versus May 2026 Forecast.

  • Slides 6-9: August 2026 forecast for fiscal year 2027.

  • Slide 10-12: Revenue compared to May 2026

  • Slide 13-15: Revenue: Property Tax and State Funding

    • Ms. Armbruster explained the dip in state funding in 2026: In 2025, the State mandated Science of Reading and budgeted to reimburse teacher training.  She said that when there was a state budget shortfall in 2026, the state cut the reimbursement funding revenue for training.

    • Ms. Armbruster details some of the other ways that state funding continues to decline.

  • Slide 16-18: Expenditures compared to May 2026.

    • Retirements and EPC (Educators Preferred Corporation) buyouts of teachers have reduced salary and benefit costs.

  • Slide 19-22: Expenditures: Salaries and Benefits

  • Slide 23: Key Financial and Operational Updates: The forecast includes variables such as the new SRO-SSO agreement (Item 4.10), the new fee per Sport/Activity, and the 1 (One) Mill shift (Item 5.4) from the PI fund to the General Fund.

  • Slide 24: Taxpayer Savings for community participants

    • The One (1)mill move  (See Item 5.4 above) stretches out the cash balance from 2030 to 2031.

  • Slide 25: Projected General Fund Cash Balance

  • Slide 26: Chardon Levy Life Indicator

    • Discussion about the slow increase of sport and activity fees to their former amount before reduction and other tools to postpone a new levy.

    • The last levy was in 2018. A new levy is projected to be considered in 2028, but any further reductions can cause a need for a levy sooner.

  • Slide 27: Reminders about the variables involved in a forecast.

• Ms. Armbruster encouraged the Board to read the 59 pages of assumptions found in August 2026 Forecast Assumptions

• There was discussion around a levy likely necessary in 2028 and the need for a work session to plan any approach to a levy and the type of levy needed. A “Financial Workshop” was placed on the calendar for September 24, at 5:30pm in the Board Office. This meeting is open to the public. 

• 2:49.50 Min Item 5.5: Pursuant to Board of Education Policy 0166, the Treasurer/CFO makes recommendation to the Board of Education to approve the Fiscal Year 2027 Permanent Appropriations Measure as presented. See documents in 5.5 for further information.

• Forecast 2026 AI Generated Video

 2:50.51 Min. Board of Education Reports and Recommendations.

•  Chardon Schools Foundation - No report submitted. 

•  Legislative Liaison - No report submitted.

• Ohio School Board Association (OSBA) Legislation Tracker Observer Note:  This item and the one below are usually noted in the Agenda but not discussed at meetings.

• OSBA Facts in a Flash

• Auburn Career Center Report  - Ms. Clark advised that Auburn Career Center began the school year on August 14th. Dr. Glavin released and presented a new strategic plan. The new treasurer presented. ACC opened four new satellite programs this year.

• Student, Staff and Liaison Report- No report submitted, but Mr. Midyette gave a brief verbal report about leadership and the start of school and summer sports activities. Chardon Middle School received a generous donation of school supplies from the Geauga County Court of Common Pleas.

2:56.46 Min. New Business - There was no new business. Mr. Galhotra suggested a working discussion on facilities. Consensus was to discuss finances first and then move to facilities.

 

3:01.06 Min. Hearing of the Public on Non-Agenda Items- There was a speaker request,  but the speaker left before the time.

 

3:02.10 Min. Pursuant to Board of Education Policy 0167.2, the Chardon Board of Education will enter into Executive Session. The purpose of the executive session is: 

• The employment of an employee.

Mrs. Blankenship announced that there would be no action taken after the Executive Session, and the video ended at 3:02.11 Min. 

Board agendas and minutes are available online.

The next meeting is the Regular Meeting on September 21, 2026 at 5:30 pm. There is a work session scheduled for September 24, 2026 at 5:30 pm in the Board office. It will be a public meeting.

Virtual Observer: Jacqueline Berger

Editor:  Gail Roussey

Reviewer: Marla Zwinggi

Date submitted: September 4, 2026

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