(Photo by Gwen Sour) Warren Local Schools Treasurer Mecie Wells shares her worries about House Bill 96 during Wednesday evening’s Warren Local Schools Board of Education meeting.

VINCENT — At a recent Warren Local Schools Board of Education meeting, board members and district officials voiced serious concern over House Bill 96, calling it a potentially “catastrophic” threat to public school funding and local governance across Ohio, especially for districts in Washington County.

“I think one of the biggest issues with that is eliminating local control,” explained Melcie Wells, the district’s treasurer.

The bill would give the state power to mandate how much money school districts can carry over in their cash balances, effectively removing budgeting autonomy from local school boards and even county budget commissions. The Warren Local Board emphasized that their district maintains the smallest cash balance in the county.

According to calculations from Wells, Warren could face a $2.5 million annual revenue loss which she emphasized is a blow that would significantly impact students and programming. County-wide, the total hit could range between $25 million and $30 million, affecting all public school districts.

“We’re not immune to the fact that property tax, there’s some reform that’s probably going to happen, but for 100% of it to be on the backs of public schools is unfair,” said Wells.

(Photo by Gwen Sour) Warren High School Boys’ Basketball Coach Blane Maddox, left, discusses the achievements of senior basketball player Julian Stadelman, right, at Wednesday evening’s Warren Local Schools Board of Education meeting.

According to Wells, the Ohio School Boards Association (OSBA) has created templates so individuals can reach out to their representatives in the state House and Senate to voice their opinion on HB 96.

During Wednesday’s meeting, the board recognized Julian Stadelman, a senior student-athlete, for his accomplishments in boys’ basketball.

Stadelman was acknowledged for a series of athletic achievements over his high school career. He was a three-time First Team All-Twin State League selection and named Twin State League Player of the Year in his senior season.

He also earned All-Southeast District honors all four years, progressing from honorable mention as a freshman to District Player of the Year as a senior.

In addition, Stadelman was recognized by the Ohio Prep Sports Writers Association and the Ohio Prep Sports Media Association, culminating in a First Team All-Ohio selection this year. He previously received third team and honorable mention designations.

Stadelman set a new school record as the all-time leading scorer for Warren boys basketball, finishing with 1,567 career points and averaging 15.83 points per game.

He scored 44 points in a single game against Logan this season, narrowly missing the school’s single-game scoring record.

During the recognition, coaches and board members highlighted Stadelman’s consistency and work ethic.

His coach noted improvements in his free throw percentage, from 67% to 80%, and his contributions in assists and defense.

Stadelman has also been selected to participate in several statewide all-star games, including the Ohio-Kentucky All-Star Game and the South All-Star Game.

The next regularly scheduled Warren Local Schools Board of Education meeting will take place on May 22, the location is to be determined.