REYNOLDSBURG, Ohio (WCMH) — Fifth-grader Liliana Rios has been practicing her speech on budget cuts for weeks, preparing to fit all she can into the three-minute slot she’s signed up for at Reynoldsburg City Schools’ next Board of Education meeting.

She hopes she’s not alone. Liliana and her mom, Michelle Rios, are working to pack the house at the Feb. 18 board of education meeting, where board members will vote on proposed budget cuts. Reynoldsburg had an emergency levy on the ballot in November, which failed, forcing the district to cut $8.5 million annually. The district has been working with community members since the levy failed to discuss possible changes.

“Me and my mom went to last month’s board meeting, and I heard some teachers from my school talk about how my assistant principal would be cut,” Liliana Rios said. “And he’s improved our school so much over this year, and I really don’t want to see him go.”

Liliana Rios said she is most worried about the proposed cuts to assistant principals and social workers, which would save the district around $1.4 million annually. Her mom said she wished more of the budgeting efforts came at the district or administrative level, rather than from individual schools. Michelle was also troubled by the possible loss of assistant principals and social workers, especially with mental health concerns, bullying and school safety concerns.

“It would be like a social worker which would be shared between buildings,” Michelle Rios said. “That’s just not sufficient in this day and age. That’s a scary thing for a kid, thinking about the kids being at school without those kind of supports.”

The district is already acting to balance its budget. In a Jan. 9 community presentation, district representatives said as part of their immediate response to the levy failure, they had paused hiring, reviewed expenditures and reviewed negotiated agreements and contracts. Rios said she and other parents were frustrated that, amid these efforts, the Reynoldsburg superintendent accepted an 8% raise.

On Dec. 17, the board of education approved a new contract where the Superintendent will make $187,746 with a 3.5% raise each year, beginning Aug. 1. She previously made $167,000 with a 2% annual raise that was set to expire February 2026, which would hit around $173,750 this year. 

“A superintendent that accepts a pay raise when you have to cut $8.5 million out of the yearly budget, that’s pretty concerning,” Michelle Rios said.

Reynoldsburg spokesperson Brandon Mullins said the superintendent was out of the state, so she was unable to comment. Michelle Rios said she had heard several explanations regarding why she accepted the raise: that it had been negotiated before the levy failed, that her pay was uncompetitive when she was hired compared to other district superintendents and that it would have cost more to replace her had they not given her the raise. None have been officially presented by the district.

“We understand that the school board members are in a tough situation, rough thing to have to do to make these decisions as far as what to cut, and how much to cut, where to cut, and all of that,” Michelle Rios said. “We just want them to make the best decision for the kids, keeping the kids at the forefront of their mind. Not just what’s good for the kids today, but going forward too.”

Liliana and Michelle Rios said they hope filling the meeting with speakers and stakeholders will encourage board members to vote with students in mind. They will both be speaking, and Liliana made a flier encouraging her classmates to speak too, which she handed out at school with principal permission.

“The ones that I got to hand to the teachers directly, I felt really happy about because they would then respond something like, ‘Thank you for standing up for assistant principals and social workers,'” Liliana Rios said.

Liliana said she hopes everyone comes to speak, and said she hopes the board either postpones the vote or votes against reducing assistant principals and social workers.

“It’s our assistant principals and social workers getting cut, it’s up to us to stand up for them,” she said.

The next Board of Education meeting will be on Feb. 18 at Reynoldsburg City Hall. Mullins said attendees must submit a request to participate at least two business days in advance, or no later than Thursday of this week, as there is no school Monday.