CANFIELD — Boards of education are looking at a reduction in funding from the state budget over the next two years, and Superintendent Joe Knoll gave a presentation Tuesday on how Canfield will be affected.

“Canfield is at the state minimum 10% share,” he said. “The amount per student on the current guarantee is $1,777.”

He said the cost to educate a student in Canfield is $11,124 compared to the state average of $12,397.

“While 90% of Ohio’s students attend traditional public schools, these districts only receive 76% of the total funding,” Knoll said. “It creates a growing imbalance that places greater financial pressure on local taxpayers. Meanwhile, the state’s voucher program, as well as charter and STEM schools, will see double-digit funding increases, redirecting state resources away from the vast majority of students.”

He said the loss to public schools will be 0.4% in the 2025-26 school year and 0.5% in the 2026-27 school year. In two years, the total state cuts will be at 0.9%.

Knoll said the total decrease to public schools will be $103.4 million in fiscal year 2025 to fiscal year 2027. Of that, Canfield’s reduction will be $71,683 in fiscal year 2025. In fiscal year 2026, it will come in at $59,511, and with fiscal year 2027, Canfield will see a total loss of $202,877.

He said the state also is looking at reducing the guarantee for districts. Canfield’s guarantee is $4,278,000. In the proposed biennium state budget, that amount will be reduced by 5% ($213,000) in year one and 10% ($427,000) in year two.

Knoll told board members, “We need advocacy. Do not reduce the guarantee for school districts.”

He said the new “fair funding plan” determines the local share based on 60% of property values and 40% on residents’ income.

“I will be meeting with Ohio Sen. Al Cutrona, R-Canfield, next week, and I will be telling him what we need,” Knoll said.

Also Tuesday, discussion took place about Canfield’s early school year start dates. Last year, school began Aug. 19 with a break for the Canfield Fair. Board member Traci DeCapua reminded residents that Canfield was a rural district and had a lot of students showing animals at the Canfield Fair, thus starting after Labor Day. The earlier start dates began more recently, but time was still given for the fair.

Knoll defended the early start dates by saying it has helped students.

“The earlier start date has led to higher performance,” he said.

He was proud to announce that the Canfield Local School District was named a 5-Star School District by the Department of Education Workforce.

“We are the only 5-star district in Mahoning County,” he said.

He also noted the advanced placement courses that can earn college credit start in August. He said the early start time makes a difference when it comes to testing.

Resident Brooke Vaughn spoke during the public presentation and suggested alternatives such as adding minutes to the school day instead of an early start. She asked the board to send out questionnaires and get the input of residents.

Board President Nader Atway told Vaughn, “We don’t ignore any feedback.”