Treasurer Seth Cales Presents Five-Year Financial Forecast
Kenston Board of Education Regular Meeting – February 9, 2026
Meeting Details: The Kenston Board of Education (BOE) Regular Meeting took place on February 9, 2026 at 6:00 pm in the KHS Auburn Bainbridge Room. The meeting is live-streamed and the video is posted on the Kenston Website page here and on Kenston’s YouTube page here. View both agendas online and any attached documents here by selecting the meeting tab, the meeting date, and the agenda.
7:22 Min Video Opening at 6:00 pm.
The Pledge of Allegiance was led by KMS 5th Grade student Damian Edwards and Board Vice President Beth Krause.
8:34 Min Welcome and Roll Call: This meeting is being held in accordance with Section 3313.15 of the Ohio Revised Code.
Board Attendance: President Tom Manning, Vice President Beth Krause, and members Jim Henry, Girtha Smith, and Benjamin Timmons
Staff in Attendance: Superintendent Dr. Bruce R. Willingham and Treasurer Seth Cales
9:39 Min The Kenston Board of Education approved that the reading of the minutes be waived and approved the minutes of the Organizational Meeting and the Regular Meeting of January 12, 2026 as recorded or corrected.
10:22 Min Information Items
10:52 Min Superintendent’s Report with an accompanying slide presentation.
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Varsity Boys Basketball Game, Tuesday, February 10, 2026, at 7:30 pm.
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Reminder: No School on Friday, February 13, 2026 for a Teacher Professional Development Day.
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Reminder: No School on Friday, February 16, 2026 for President’s Day
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Property Tax Changes - an Information Night jointly hosted by the League of Women Voters of Geauga, the Geauga Public Library, and the County Auditor’s Office will be held on Wednesday, February 25, 2026 at 6:30pm. Board President Tom Manning will be one of the panelists at the event. Registration is required for this event as seats are limited. To register go to www.geaugalibrary.net, select Bainbridge Library and then locate the date and event to register, or follow the link directly to this event registration here. Observer Note: The slide within the presentation incorrectly states the event date as February 26, 2026. Dr. Willingham clarifies for viewers that the event is actually February 25, 2026. Reviewer Note: G-TV will live-stream this event on February 25, 2026.
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The Bainbridge Civic Club will be hosting their annual Pancake Breakfasts on March 1, March 8, and March 15, 2026 from 8:00 am to 1:00 pm.
13:43 Min Treasurer’s Report - Mr. Cales presented the Five-Year Forecast with a slide presentation that can be found on Kenston’s website under Finance here.
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Mr. Cales advised that, “A financial forecast is a fiscal management tool that presents estimated information based on past, current, and projected financial conditions.” Mr. Cales further noted that the forecast is only an estimate based on known information at a specific period of time and can be influenced by many factors including legislation.
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The Forecast represents only the general fund; no other funds are included.
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A surplus is expected at the end of Fiscal Year (FY) 2026, but expenses are increasing faster than revenues leading to deficit spending in FY 2027-2030 which will erode cash reserves until an operating levy is necessary.
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See slide six for surplus and deficit amounts as well as ending cash balances from FY 2026 through the year 2030.
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Slide seven reveals the impact of the Permanent Improvement Levy.
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Slide eight reveals enrollment history and decreasing enrollment (which is happening statewide).
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Slides nine and ten: 76% of Kenston’s revenue comes from local property taxes. Mr. Cales expressed the opinion that a constitutional amendment to abolish property taxes would be “catastrophic” to the Kenston district and school districts throughout Geauga County.
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Slide 11: Personnel Costs
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Slide 12: Breakdown of expenditures by object code.
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Slides 14 and 15: Annual revenue surplus (deficit) by FY.
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Slides 16-19 : Projected FY 2026 to 2030 year-end cash balances explained.
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Slides 20-21: Estimated annual cost in General Fund dollars to educate a student through FY 2030.
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Slide 22: Mr. Cales discussed some of the uncertainty around more recent legislation
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Slide 23: Mr. Cales reviewed areas to monitor that could impact the five-year forecast.
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Slide 24: Conclusion statements.
41:48 Min Hearing of the Public on Agenda Items - There were no speaker requests.
41:55 Min Agenda approval items 9-18 - As the Board President announced at the beginning of the meeting, these items were reviewed by Board members before the meeting and most will be passed quickly and without discussion.
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Financial Items - All items and accompanying documents can be found here by selecting the meeting tab, meeting date, and 9.1-9.11 on the agenda. All Approved. Items to highlight include but are NOT limited to:
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The Kenston Board of Education is being asked to approve the Full-Day Kindergarten Tuition Rate of $3,625.00 for the 2026-2027 school year.
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Five Year Forecast document here.
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Certified Personnel Items - These items and accompanying documents are available here for review by selecting the meeting tab, meeting date, and 10.1-10.3 on the agenda. All Approved.
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Classified Personnel Items - These items and accompanying documents are available here by selecting the meeting tab, meeting date, and 11.1- 11.6 on the agenda. All Approved.
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Supplemental Personnel Items - These items and accompanying documents are available here by selecting the meeting tab, meeting date, and 12.1-12.4 on the agenda. All Approved.
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Exempt Personnel Items - These items and accompanying documents are available here by selecting the meeting tab, meeting date, and 13.1 on the agenda. All Approved.
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Business Operations - These items and accompanying documents are available here by selecting the meeting tab, meeting date, and 14.1-14.3 on the agenda. All Approved.
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Teaching and Learning Items - These items and accompanying documents are available here by selecting the meeting tab, meeting date, and 15.1 on the agenda. All Approved.
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Special Education Items - These items and accompanying documents are available here by selecting the meeting tab, meeting date, and 16.1 on the agenda. All Approved.
47:09 Min Hearing of The Public on Non-Agenda Items - There were no speaker requests.
48:25 Min A motion was made, seconded, and approved to enter into Executive Session. Mr. Manning noted the time as 6:41 pm and advised that no business would be conducted at the end of executive session and that the BOE would reconvene only to adjourn. The reasons for the Executive Session were provided as follows:
1) The Board will enter into executive session pursuant to Ohio Revised Code Section 121.22(G)(1) to consider the dismissal, discipline, demotion, or compensation of a public employee or official, or the investigation of charges or complaints against a public employee or official.
2) The Board will enter into executive session pursuant to Ohio Revised Code Section 121.22(G)(2) to consider the sale of property, real or personal, by competitive bid, where disclosure of information would give a competitive advantage to the other side.
3) Preparing for, conducting, or reviewing collective bargaining strategy by division (G)(4) of Section 121.22 of the Revised Code.
49:05 Min Video concludes.
Next regular meeting: Monday, March 16, 2026. Remember that the meeting time is now 6:00 pm.
Of note: There will be a Board Retreat on February 18, 2026 at 5:30pm at the Auburn Career Center
More information here: Board of Education | Kenston Local Schools
Virtual Observer: Jacqueline Berger
Editor: Carol Benton
Reviewer: Sarah McGlone
Date Submitted: February 15, 2026
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