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School budgets

Lakewood City forecasts no shortfall through FY2029

Lakewood City – 044198 (Cuyahoga) · Fiscal Year 2026 Required Update to Forecast

Submission date: 02/25/2026

Lakewood City’s own notes and assumptions for this forecast (PDF) →

Every Ohio school district files a budget forecast with the state: three years of actual figures, this year’s budget and the years ahead. On its own forecast, Lakewood City stays above zero through FY2029 if its current levies are renewed and no new one passes. It has written in a new property tax levy from FY2027 — $12,243,008 in FY2029 — that voters have not approved.

FY2027 fallfiled July–August 2026 FY2026 spring updatefiled February 2026
Cash, June 30, 2025
$48.0M

6.5 months of that year’s spending

Runs short
Not by FY2029

on its own forecast, if its levies are renewed and no new one passes

New levy in the forecast
Property tax

from FY2027, not yet approved by voters

Lakewood City Schools on the November 3, 2026 ballot

Lakewood City Schools has no tax issue on this ballot, on the Ohio Secretary of State’s list of local questions and issues as of September 18, 2026.

How its earlier votes went: since March 17, 2020, voters have decided 2 Lakewood City Schools tax issues — 2 passed and 0 failed. Of the issues asking for new money, 2 of 2 passed.

Every tax issue on the ballot in Cuyahoga County →

Lakewood City: cash, unencumbered, unreserved — four different balances

The forecast has four balance lines, and each is the one before it with something taken away or added. They are easy to mix up, and they are not the same number.

Line ActualFY2025 BudgetFY2026 ForecastFY2029
07.020 Cash balance at June 30Everything in the general fund's account at the end of the year. 47,956,415 44,580,218 10,054,842
08.010 Already committedEncumbrances: purchase orders and contracts signed, not yet paid. − 500,000 − 250,000 − 250,000
10.010 Unencumbered balanceWhat is free to spend. The state calls it the fund balance for certification of appropriations. 47,456,415 44,330,218 9,804,842
12.010 With renewalsThe balance if every renewal passes and nothing new does. 47,456,415 44,330,218 9,804,842
13.030 New leviesLevies the district has written into its forecast. Not yet voted on. + 0 + 0 + 30,585,356
15.010 Unreserved fund balanceThe state's bottom line. In a forecast year it counts any new levy above as if it had passed. 47,456,415 44,330,218 40,390,198

Swipe sideways for more columns.

For past years the state asks for no renewal or new-levy money, so the unencumbered and unreserved balances are the same; cash is larger by what is already committed and set aside. In a forecast year the unreserved balance counts any new levy as if it had passed.

Lakewood City’s forecast, line by line

Each line as Lakewood City filed it with the state, in the state’s own format. Tap or hover over a line to see what it means.

Forecast line and description ActualFY2023 ActualFY2024 ActualFY2025 Current year budgetFY2026 Forecast year 1FY2027 Forecast year 2FY2028 Forecast year 3FY2029
01.010 General Property Tax (Real Estate)

Property tax on land and buildings — homes, farms and businesses — from levies voters have already approved.

 48,703,185 49,385,651 49,747,540 51,043,281 51,354,792 51,716,250 52,036,040
01.020 Tangible Personal Property Tax

Property tax on the equipment of utilities, such as power lines, pipelines and power plants.

 2,697,480 2,840,037 2,929,469 3,109,035 3,260,517 3,370,025 3,479,882
01.035 Unrestricted Grants-in-Aid

State aid the district may spend on anything — mostly Ohio's school funding formula.

 16,835,639 16,997,811 17,362,664 17,099,481 17,330,901 17,321,840 17,319,980
01.040 Restricted Grants-in-Aid

State aid that must be spent on set purposes, such as help for pupils from low-income families.

 1,597,287 2,219,307 1,447,513 1,210,129 1,043,200 1,046,671 1,047,986
01.050 State Reimbursement for Property Tax Credits

The part of homeowners' property tax the state pays for them: the 10% and 2.5% rollbacks and the homestead exemption.

 5,080,204 5,092,936 5,237,501 5,349,748 5,354,713 5,396,671 5,438,567
01.060 All Other Operating Revenue

Everything else that comes in: fees, tuition from other districts, interest, rentals and gifts.

 7,889,813 9,791,269 9,548,282 9,534,564 8,563,066 8,265,787 8,029,251
01.070 Total Revenue

All of the revenue above, added together.

 82,803,608 86,327,011 86,272,968 87,346,238 86,907,189 87,117,244 87,351,706
02.080 Total Revenue and Other Financing Sources

Everything coming in for the year: revenue plus other money coming in.

 82,803,608 86,327,011 86,272,968 87,346,238 86,907,189 87,117,244 87,351,706
03.010 Personal Services - Employee Salaries & Wages

Salaries and wages for teachers and every other employee.

 45,464,547 50,442,491 51,723,067 53,861,283 56,105,157 58,312,259 60,608,663
03.020 Employees' Retirement and Insurance Benefits

The district's share of staff pensions (STRS and SERS), health insurance, Medicare and workers' compensation.

 17,573,170 19,238,087 20,192,304 20,510,790 21,594,040 22,859,720 24,206,860
03.030 Purchased Services

Services bought from outside: utilities, repairs, contracted services and tuition paid for pupils taught elsewhere.

 9,338,418 10,511,684 10,863,097 11,335,106 11,702,971 12,058,788 12,360,258
03.040 Supplies and Materials

Textbooks, classroom supplies, fuel, food and other things the district buys.

 2,432,788 2,451,730 3,974,938 3,266,234 3,521,170 3,698,839 3,883,781
03.050 Capital Outlay

Equipment, buses and building improvements paid for from the general fund.

 85,458 170,616 114,603 299,998 299,998 299,998 299,998
04.050 Principal-HB 264 Loans

Repaying loans for energy-saving building work (House Bill 264).

 965 0 0 0 0 0 0
04.300 Other Objects

Other costs, such as the county's fees for collecting its taxes, audits, elections, insurance and memberships.

 1,463,237 1,352,037 1,382,965 1,449,024 1,329,490 1,362,727 1,396,795
04.500 Total Expenditures

Everything the district spends in the year, lines 3.010 to 4.300, added together.

 76,358,584 84,166,645 88,250,974 90,722,435 94,552,827 98,592,331 102,756,356
05.050 Total Expenditures and Other Financing Uses

Everything going out for the year: spending plus other money going out.

 76,358,584 84,166,645 88,250,974 90,722,435 94,552,827 98,592,331 102,756,356
06.010 Excess Of Revenues and Other Financing Sources over (under) Expenditures and Other Financing Uses

The year's result: money in minus money out. A number in brackets means the district spent more than it took in.

 6,445,025 2,160,366 (1,978,006) (3,376,197) (7,645,638) (11,475,088) (15,404,650)
07.010 Beginning Cash Balance July 1 - Excluding Proposed Renewal/Replacement and New Levies

Cash in the general fund on July 1, the start of the school year — last year's ending cash.

 41,329,030 47,774,055 49,934,421 47,956,415 44,580,218 36,934,580 25,459,492
07.020 Ending Cash Balance June 30 - Excluding Proposed Renewal/Replacement and New Levies

Cash on June 30, the end of the year: the starting cash plus the year's result, before any renewal or new levy.

 47,774,055 49,934,421 47,956,415 44,580,218 36,934,580 25,459,492 10,054,842
08.010 Estimated Encumbrances June 30

Money already committed: purchase orders and contracts signed but not yet paid.

 0 500,000 500,000 250,000 250,000 250,000 250,000
09.045 Fiscal Stabilization

Money set aside to steady the budget over future years.

 0 0 0 1 2 3 4
10.010 Fund Balance June 30 For Certification of Appropriations

What is free to spend: the ending cash less money already committed and money set aside — often called the unencumbered balance.

 47,774,055 49,434,421 47,456,415 44,330,218 36,684,580 25,209,492 9,804,842
11.010 Income Tax - Renewal

An existing income tax the district expects voters to renew. Not yet voted on.

 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
11.020 Property Tax - Renewal or Replacement

Existing property tax levies the district expects voters to renew or replace. Not yet voted on.

 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
11.300 Cumulative Balance of Replacement/Renewal Levies

The renewals above, added up year after year.

 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
12.010 Fund Balance June 30 For Certificates of Contracts Salary Schedules, and Other Obligations

The balance if every renewal passes and nothing new does.

 47,774,055 49,434,421 47,456,415 44,330,218 36,684,580 25,209,492 9,804,842
13.010 Income Tax - New

A new income tax the district has written into its forecast. Not yet voted on.

 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
13.020 Property Tax - New

A new property tax levy the district has written into its forecast. Not yet voted on.

 0 0 0 0 6,112,023 12,230,325 12,243,008
13.030 Cumulative Balance of New Levies

The new levies above, added up year after year.

 0 0 0 0 6,112,023 18,342,348 30,585,356
15.010 Unreserved Fund Balance June 30

The state's bottom line: the balance with renewals and new levies counted as if voters approve them.

 47,774,055 49,434,421 47,456,415 44,330,218 42,796,603 43,551,840 40,390,198
20.010 Kindergarten - October count

Kindergarten pupils enrolled, counted each October.

 518 530 498 269 330 274 291
20.015 Grades 1-12 - October count

Pupils in grades 1 to 12, counted each October.

 3,557 3,536 3,573 3,802 3,646 3,545 3,494

Swipe sideways for more columns.

Dollars, except the two enrolment lines (20.010 and 20.015), which are pupils. A line that is zero in every year is left out, as the state’s report leaves it out — except the renewal and new-levy lines (11 and 13), which are always shown, because a zero there is the answer.

Lakewood City’s levies, spending and test scores →

Another county or district

From the Ohio Department of Education and Workforce’s bulk forecast files — the filings its Forecast Submissions report shows one district at a time, to the dollar. A county’s figures are the traditional districts the state files under it, added together; Ohio’s are all of them. Each district writes its own forecast, and nothing here is estimated. The 49 career centers file their own forecasts and are listed under their home county, but are in no total: each serves several counties.