At the same time, enrollment continues to fall. The district has 500 fewer students than it did six years ago, and another 500‑student decrease is projected by 2030.
“Fewer students result in less state funding,” he said.
He attributed the decline to smaller family sizes and increased educational options, including homeschooling, open enrollment, charter and private schools and expanding programs at Butler Tech.
While budget cuts may seem like an obvious solution, Philpot said the district has already averaged more than $1 million in reductions each of the past three years.
“We’ve done the best we can to make cuts, just keep our heads above water, but with these recent changes, there’s no way we can keep our head above water,” Philpot told Journal-News. “We’re in trouble.”
Any future cuts would no longer be “small, strategic adjustments,” Philpot said, but sweeping reductions that could include program eliminations, moving to state minimums for instruction and transportation, cutting staff, ending extracurricular activities and closing buildings.
Because of this, he said ECSD’s Board of Education has adopted a plan to “give the community the best version of Edgewood.”
The plan includes:
- Launching a Jump Start Summer Program for grades K–8
- Reinvesting in the district’s Virtual Academy
- Expanding preschool offerings
- Returning Edgewood Early Childhood Center and Edgewood Primary School to neighborhood preschool–grade 2 buildings
“Our approach is not to continue to make cuts because ultimately we’re going to have to rely on the community or a bail out from the government,” Philpot said. “Our feeling is, let’s try to give the community something that they like and see as worth saving. We just have to improve our product, and we have a short window to do it.”
Philpot said the district will also review participation fees to determine whether the current structure creates barriers for families. If reduced fees boost student involvement, he said, overall revenue could remain stable while participation increases.
In recent years, the district has left three positions unfilled to save money, with existing staff absorbing those responsibilities. That approach has stretched the team “too thin,” Philpot said.
A revised administrative structure proposes two directors overseeing district operations:
- Alesia Beckett, director of teaching and learning
- A new director position, who would oversee business operations and facilities
The district has also hired a supplemental Website and Social Media Content Manager.
To pay for these expansions and positions, Philpot said the district will rely on cash reserves for the next few years.
“How long is it going to last before we end up on the ballot? We may be on the ballot next year, we may be on the ballot the following year,” he said. “We’re going to do the best job that we can for as long as we can before we run out of money.
“It’s a Hail Mary, but I feel like it’s a better approach than limping into an ask of the community. We’re going to go strong.”
Voters approved a renewal tax levy for the district in May 2025. The levy, originally passed in 2005, generates about $3 million annually. Edgewood will not pursue a new levy in 2026, according to Philpot.
At the time of the renewal in 2025, district officials said the levy would lessen the severity of personnel and program cuts planned for the 3,500‑student district serving Trenton and portions of three surrounding Butler County townships. Without the levy, Edgewood faced a projected $2.9 million operating deficit. Even with its passage, officials warned that additional cuts would still be needed.
MORE DETAILS
Two forums are scheduled to review the state of the schools and review plans for next year:
- 6 p.m., March 10, Edgewood Early Childhood Center Media Center (200 W. Ritter St., Seven Mile)
- 6 p.m., March 11, Edgewood Middle School Media Center (5005 State Route 73, St. Clair Twp.)
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