Butler County educators will spend much of 2013 implementing programs passed in 2012, including transition to the Common Core Curriculum, new evaluations for teachers and a new method of rating and grading schools.

But perhaps the biggest change in the New Year will be a new formula to fund schools.

All districts are in the second year of the state’s biennial budget, and Gov. John Kasich will present his proposed budget for the next two-year period in February, according to Robert Hancock, treasurer for Hamilton City Schools.

“The governor’s proposed budget will contain a new school funding formula which we await with interest,” he said. “We do not anticipate that state funding will be an area of revenue growth over the next two years.”

Hamilton City Schools has already said it plans to ask taxpayers for money in 2013.

Hamilton City Schools Board of Education President Larry Bowling said there’s no way for the district to avoid an operating levy.

“We’re now going into our 21st year without any new operating dollars,” he said. “We’ve cut about as much as we can. If we’re going to stay competitive, we have to attract and retain the best of the best in our teaching staff, so unless something miraculous happens with the state budget, we’ll likely be going for a levy in November.”

Bowling said he has hope the community will be understanding, considering the last operating levy to pass was in 1993.

“It’s always tough to pass a levy,” he said, “but people know the effort we’ve put in, that we’ve managed our money very well. Most districts go three to five years, and I think people will acknowledge that we’ve gone 20-plus.”

Ross Local Schools is also concerned about funding, according to Superintendent Greg Young.

“We are right on the cusp of deficit spending,” he said. “We’ve made some substantial cuts over the last three years, so right now it’s going to be difficult for us to cut anymore without cutting into the heart of what we’re doing.

“We could end this year right at the line between a balanced budge and a deficit,” Young said. “We have no immediate plans for a levy, but we are going to have to start having discussions about our revenues and expenses.”

Ross’ last ballot issue was an income tax levy in November 2008, which passed by 400 votes.

In the summer, the district will complete its building program with a renovation and addition to Morgan Elementary School.

“It was built in 1982, so it’s 30 years old now and we have some concerns abou the HVAC system,” Young said. “Morgan was our newest building when we began the program, so it’s the last to be updated.”

The program included construction of a new high school, renovating the former high school to become a middle school, and renovation of Elda Elementary School, which was completed for the 2012-13 school year.

The additions to Morgan will include a new kitchen, new music and art rooms, and an addition to the administrative area to accommodate a more secure entry way.

While the state’s funding model for schools remains uncertain, districts are already phasing in the Common Core Curriculum.

“The new teacher evaluation systems is going to require a bit of work to get in place at the beginning of the 2013-14 school year,” Young said. “Fifty percent of a teacher’s evaluation is going to be on student growth, so we have to figure out how to measure that and that’s going to be a big job.”

“A significant project has been the teacher creation of student learning objectives,” said Keith Millard, Hamilton’s director of secondary education. “These objectives are standards based and measure student growth over the course of an entire school year.”

Professional development continues to be a major focus for the district, Millard said, as teachers shift their instructional practices to align with the expectations of the Common Core.

“To date, every teacher in the district has had initial training on the new standards, as well as the re-aligned curriculum maps,” he said. “Training that will occur in the first half of 2013 will focus on a deeper understanding and integration of the standards into professional practice, with an emphasis on close reading and the frequent incorporation of non-fiction, informational text into all subject areas.”