By Noell Wolfgram Evans

The Twinsburg Board of Education met for a regularly scheduled meeting on Feb. 18, 2026, in the meeting space of the Twinsburg Government Center. In attendance were President Rhonda Crawford, Vice President Beth Egan and board members Maria Hamilton, Merkisha Rush and Lea Travis. Also in attendance were Interim Superintendent Steve Marlow, Treasurer Julia Rozsnyai and Business Manager Matt Strickland. 

After the meeting was called to order and the Pledge of Allegiance was recited, Crawford read from prepared remarks about the importance of Black history. 

“Black history is about being seen, heard, valued and shown that you are capable of greatness,” she said.

She then provided an update on the superintendent search. Twenty-eight candidates applied for the role, and five have been selected for interviews, which would begin the following week. When the selection narrows, Crawford said that staff, students and members of the public would be invited to take part in the process. 

Crawford then issued praise for Rozsnyai, who has worked to shrink the 2027 deficit the district was facing. She also offered well wishes to the bowling team during their state tournament appearance and invited the public to attend several school events including:

Marlow was then invited to speak, and he excitedly announced that he was presiding over his favorite part of the meeting: recognizing the Students of the Month. 

Principal Misty Johnson from Bissell Elementary honored second graders Kennedy, Noah, Emma and Cameron and third graders Sawyer, Judah, Emery and Kyle. She offered individual notes of praise to each student, and they were met with thunderous applause and plenty of cameras.

Next up was R.B. Chamberlin Middle School Principal Ryan Beaumont. As he welcomed each honored student to step up and receive a certificate, he spoke about their commitment to their schoolwork and their peers. The students of the month at RBC are seventh graders Savannah, Sahil, Jay and Louis, along with eight graders Imani, Tristen, Quinn and Michael.

As the students filed back to their seats, the board began offering committee reports. Hamilton shared that the Business Advisory Committee was part of a presentation at the Cuyahoga Valley Career Center. She said they had an opportunity to tour the space and learn more about the programs offered. 

Rozsnyai then provided a detailed financial report. She started by providing an overview of how the report was developed. This included an in-depth explanation of Ohio House Bills 129, 186, 309 and 335. 

Next, she discussed how revenue comes into the district and where it goes. The biggest source of revenue (74.5%) comes from real estate taxes. The contribution from the state is only 18.12%. The three largest buckets for expenses are wages at 57.7%, benefits at 24.8% and services at 13.28%.

Rozsnyai shared a broad look at the financial situation in the district across the next five years.

Year | Forecasted Revenue | Forecasted Expenses
2026 | 60,438,405 | 63,502,000
2027 | 60,688,816 | 64,661,000
2028 | 60,536,189 | 66,040,000
2029 | 58,006,311 | 67,267,000
2030 | 53,511,958 | 69,083,000

Rozsnyai explained that the drop in revenue in 2029 and 2030 is due to the end of a levy during that time period. She also explained that fiscal year 27 reflects the recently approved reduction of 8.5 positions due to attrition and 11 additional positions. This reduction was approved by the board in the Jan. 21 meeting.

She cautioned that expenses could grow because of inflation and higher than inflation expenses. As an example, she cited a 20% increase this year in electric costs. She also pointed out that the numbers from 2028 forward did not include any salary increases, as the district will be under a new, as-yet-to-be negotiated contract.

Rozsnyai next turned to report on the cash on hand. She said that if the difference in revenue and expenses continues by 2029, the district will have negative cash reserves.

She suggested that the district stay on course with its current reduction plan, look for ways to decrease third party expenses and supply costs, and that the board and administration continue to look for new budgeting strategies. Following the report, the board adopted it without discussion.

The board next took up a number of action items, including a contract with Education Alternatives, entering into a memorandum of understanding with Cuyahoga Community College for the CCP program, renewing Microsoft licenses and a contract with the United Cerebral Palsy of Greater Cleveland for training. Each of these items was approved unanimously without comment.

Also approved were a renewal of the district's membership in the Ohio High School Athletic Association, the revision of two job descriptions and the acceptance of a $4,000 donation to be used to support future visits by authors.

Hamilton then took a moment to announce appreciation for a bill in the Ohio statehouse that would require parents to lock up guns in their house. Travis thanked everyone involved for working on the budget forecast. She also told those in attendance that if they had questions about the earned income tax proposal on the May ballot, they should not turn to social media, but should speak with the treasurer or superintendent.

With no further comments offered, the meeting was adjourned.