LEXINGTON — Lexington Local Schools will employ 24 fewer people next school year, Supt. Jeremy Secrist said Wednesday night.
The school board voted Wednesday to approve a reduction in force (RIF), terminating contracts with eight of those employees at the end of the 2025-2026 school year.
The eliminated positions included a first grade teacher, kindergarten teachers, high school Spanish teacher, high school life skills teacher and junior high social studies teacher.
The rest of the staff cuts will be achieved by not filling positions of staff who are retiring or resigning.
A full list of the jobs cut was not immediately available, but it includes 12 teachers, six administrative staff members and six classified staff, Supt. Jeremy Secrist said.
Classified staff include positions like educational aides, cafeteria workers and custodians.
Secrist said the decisions on which positions to cut were made in conjunction with other district administrators, with the goal of minimizing the impact on students and number of people who would lose their jobs.
“That’s the most horrific thing I’ve ever had to do. I never want to have to do it again,” Secrist said following the RIF vote. “I’m deeply sorry for all of that.”
The cuts come amid a difficult time for the district financially.
The most recent five-year forecast, completed in February, projects the district will maintain a positive fund balance through the 2028-2029 school year.
But it also shows Lexington has operated in deficit spending since 2023 and, without additional revenue, will continue to do so.
Treasurer Jason Whitesel projected Lexington will end the next two school years with deficits exceeding $2 million each year.
District officials said more revenue is needed as state and local lawmakers have cut funding for public schools.
School officials across the state have said the most recent state budget, approved by lawmakers earlier this year, did not take into account the rising costs of educating students.
Meanwhile, Richland County Commissioners voted last fall to implement a property tax relief measure that reduced Lexington’s annual collections by $279,558.09.
“We’ve been trying to advocate for our community for well over a year now — writing letters, sending emails, talking to those in Columbus about the impact this is going to have directly on the students in the community of Lexington,” Whitesel said.
“We’re not the only ones. This is, throughout the state, what districts are facing because of decisions that have been made.”
Lex leaders say deeper cuts could follow if May levy fails
Lexington Local Schools has a 1.5 percent income tax levy on the May ballot. If approved, it would generate $9 million in annual operating revenue and allow Lexington to phase out some of its existing property tax levies.
One, a $2.7 million levy, will expire this year. District officials said they won’t put a renewal on the ballot.
Another $2.7 million levy is set to expire in 2034, but Whitesel said the board hopes to stop collection earlier than that.
Meanwhile, administrators said Wednesday’s staff cuts, while difficult, are proof that the school system is doing what it can to live within its means. The board noted that the cuts won’t be reversed if the May levy passes.
“We feel like this was our opportunity to right our ship, to ensure that we’re doing our part,” Secrist said.
“We’re staying fiscally sound and cutting where we can cut, while still being Lexington, still being able to offer the programming we have, still having the great support for our students that we have.”
Secrist said if the levy fails, deeper cuts will be necessary to keep the district afloat.
“There’ll be changes to fee structures for sure,” he said. “Then we’re going to have to go back to the drawing board and figure out what type of programming we have to cut, how deep we have to go with the personnel cuts in this next round, because we won’t have enough money to operate.”
