Rebuilding capacity: OSU Extension presents increased funding request in Richland County

RICHLAND COUNTY — Shelby native Kristen Eisenhauer remembers when 4-H was booming in Richland County.

Six months after stepping into her role as Richland County’s 4-H youth development educator, Eisenhauer returned to county commissioners Tuesday with a plea to rebuild an Ohio State University Extension Office operating at a fraction of its historical staffing.

Her request came during a 2027 budget session with commissioners, who are working on a countywide spending plan that needs to be finished by the end of December.

“The biggest thing that I wanted to show you all with this investment is that we want to build capacity and we want to bring the potential that OSU Extension has to the Richland County community,” the 2015 Shelby High School graduate said.

“With that, we need more people. I think that is the focus here of me trying to get more hours, more people and building that capacity. So I can figure everything else out as long as we can get some more people.”

She earned her bachelor’s degree from OSU in agriscience education in 2019 and a master’s degree in extension education in 2023.

The local extension office looked far different when Eisenhauer was growing up than it does today.

Before the 2008 global financial crisis, triggered by the implosion of the U.S. subprime mortgage and housing markets, the Richland County extension office operated with approximately eight full-time staff members.

That lineup included three distinct educators — focused on 4-H youth development, agriculture and natural resources, and family and consumer sciences — supported by two office associates and three program assistants.

In 2007, Richland County commissioners allocated $200,000 annually to the program, which also receives funding from OSU. In 2009, that local funding slipped to $75,000 and dropped again in 2010 to 40,000.

It has since stabilized. Commissioners allocated $52,000 to the program in 2026, which funds the work of Eisenhauer and a part-time assistant who works 20 hours per week.

“Most of our appropriations decreased significantly in that 2008 time frame,” Buxton told commissioners, noting state and local revenue shortfalls forced extension offices statewide to retrench.

(Below is a PDF with a funding request from the OSU Extension Office in Richland County for 2027.)

Eisenhauer, joined by OSU Extension fiscal officer Jesse Buxton and area extension director Brent McCauley, presented three potential investment plans aimed at bolstering local operations and reopening the office full-time.

Eisenhauer outlined three budget options for commissioners to consider:

• Option 1: Maintain current staffing (one full-time educator and a 20-hour office associate) while covering rising baseline operational and personnel costs.
• Option 2: Increase the office associate to 40 hours per week to allow the office to maintain consistent public business hours Monday through Friday.
• Option 3: Retain the full-time educator, increase the office associate to 32 hours per week (considered full-time by Ohio State University), and hire a 32-hour program assistant to expand community outreach.

Eisenhauer advocated for the third option, telling commissioners it provides the critical groundwork needed to begin recovering lost ground.

A program assistant, she said, would split time between 4-H and agriculture, bringing hands-on STEM and career development directly into local schools while partnering with entities like the Soil and Water Conservation District, the Natural Resources Conservation Service, the USDA and the Farm Bureau to assist local farmers.

She said the third option was the best way to demonstrate full potential of OSU Extension to the community. She said Richland County has historically only had a “small snippet,” focused primarily on traditional fairgoers and community club youth.

Eisenhauer said additional personnel would allow the office to expand 4-H directly into schools, partner with teachers, meet state educational standards and reach a wider population of county young people.

“Having more people would allow us to do more and really help our community, which I think is the wish for everyone is to help our community,” she said.

McCauley praised the work Eisenhauer has done in her first six months on the job.

“The thought process with the program assistant is that Kristen is doing such an excellent job, we don’t want her to burn out, because she is doing so much,” McCauley said.

“By bringing somebody in that can assist her to continue to do good work, that was the thought process, versus an educator that might be working on other programs beyond what Kristen’s working on.”

Commissioner Tony Vero questioned whether the third proposal offered the county the best financial return.

Under Ohio State’s extension funding structure, federal and state dollars cover an average of 55% of an educator’s salary and benefits, requiring a 45% local match from county commissioners.

In contrast, support staff — including office associates and program assistants — are funded entirely through county tax dollars or local grants.

Under Option 3, Vero said, county spending would exceed the state’s investment and suggested exploring a two-educator model instead.

“To me, it’s just always about maximizing dollars,” Vero said. “Wouldn’t it make more sense to have a two-educator option, because then Ohio State would give more money?

“I would say the third option doesn’t look desirable to me because now the county is outpacing the state,” he said.

Buxton calculated funding two educators alongside a 32-hour office associate would require a county contribution of $143,594.88, while capturing an additional state match of roughly $12,000 to $25,000, depending on the second educator’s experience and degree level.

Eisenhauer and Buxton said support staff can also help draw outside revenue, noting that grant applications and initiatives like the Leader Richland reboot can bring federal and state dollars back into the county.

Both Vero and Commissioner Cliff Mears praised Eisenhauer’s performance since her arrival in April, highlighting gains in fair camper participation and local outreach, despite thin staffing.

Commissioners did not vote on the budget Tuesday. They directed extension officials to prepare detailed cost projections for a two-educator staffing structure for further review.