SHARONVILLE, Ohio — The Princeton City School District will enact a hiring freeze, and could potentially need to make more budget adjustments afterthe failure of the proposed Nov. 5 tax levy.
The tax levy was voted on in three different counties including Hamilton, Clermont and Warren. It failed in all three.
“The levy failure leaves a $10.6 million loss in revenue for 2025, making budget adjustments critical to maintaining a sound financial outlook," said Treasurer Chris Poetter.
The school announced several changes in a press release Tuesday:
- An immediate hiring freeze
- A reduction of professional development learning opportunities for educators and staff
- Transportation changes: Starting in January 2025, secondary activity buses for after-school programs will no longer run on Tuesdays and Thursdays
- Only field trips fully funded by grants will be considered
- Summer building closures and delayed maintenance
School officials say more future cuts may be needed. It will evaluate that based off of staffing changes due to retirements, people leaving the district to take a position in another district and other cost reductions. It may consider another tax levy on the ballot for 2025.
The district's superintendent said there should be little impact on student learning.
"We deeply value our community's support for public education and understand concerns about rising costs," said Superintendent G. Elgin Card. "The Board and administrative team are committed to reducing expenses with minimal impact on student learning and preserving the Princeton Advantage."
Over the past two years, 40 positions at Princeton City Schools have been eliminated, the school said.
To save costs, the school district has adopted strategies like sharing teachers or other staff between buildings. Officials say this approach ensures that students across multiple locations can access specialized services, even if resources are limited.
This means if a staff position becomes vacant, administrators may choose to have an existing teacher split their time between two schools.
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