The financial uncertainty of state school funding for Ohio’s 613 school systems – including the 10 districts in Butler County – will continue to be a big part of 2026, said Smith.
The 9,000-student Fairfield Schools, which draws enrollment from both the city of Fairfield and the adjacent Fairfield Twp., is among a growing list of local districts that spent part of 2025 creating new and periodic communication outreach offerings to better explain, via video, the state funding shortfall and what it means for schools, students and school families.
Looking back on the soon-to-be completed 2025, Smith said the year “has reinforced how critical it is for all public-school districts to educate our communities about the realities of school funding in Ohio.”
“This is a statewide issue that is bigger than Fairfield alone, and it continues to have a significant impact on public education across Ohio.”
School funding also dominated the news for some Butler County districts in 2025, with Lakota Schools seeing voters reject in November proposed combination bond issues to replace some school buildings – and upgrade others – in the 17,000-student school system, which is the largest in the county.
In May, Edgewood Schools saw voters approve a renewal school tax but Madison Schools officials saw their tax renewal request lose by just five votes.
But in November’s election, Madison finally won over enough voters to pass its tax renewal, which will continue current school taxation rates for homeowners and businesses in Madison Twp.
The fall election also saw a recent Lakota West High School graduate make history as the youngest in the district’s history to win a seat on the Lakota Board of Education.
Benjamin Nguyen, now an 18-year-old freshman at Miami University, was one of three candidates to win seats on the governing board for southwest Ohio’s largest suburban school system.
The university, which is the largest employer in Butler County with campuses in Oxford, Hamilton and Middletown along with a Learning Center in West Chester Twp., made preliminary moves in 2025 that will transform a major section of its campus — possibly beginning in 2026 and continuing well into the future.
Miami officials are growing closer to approval of converting its main campus recreational field into an “Arena District” that will see the current Cook Field become the site of the school’s new sports arena, adjacent hotel and other facilities as Millett Hall is eventually closed down.
For Butler Tech, this year was also a transformational one in terms of continuing its most aggressive expansion in decades with new schools and programs being built at the Middletown Regional Airport, West Chester Twp. and at its Monroe adult-education campus.
Butler Tech officials said early 2026 will be marked by the opening of a new aviation school for high school students next to a Middletown airstrip while West Chester’s Bioscience Center will nearly double in size with the addition of a new wing.
Monroe Schools, which will spend 2026 moving toward the building of a new high school, ended 2025 on a facility high note with the opening this week of eight new classrooms from a just-completed $2.5 million conversion of a junior high school gym into the new learning spaces.
And Butler County’s only Catholic high school, Badin in west Hamilton, saw an historic change at its campus with the opening of its first on-site sports stadium, which drew sellout crowds during the fall season.
Middletown Schools went through a historic attendance re-alignment in August with few problems and district officials said it will allow better use of financial and education resources in the 5,900 city school system.
And 2025 saw Hamilton Schools get a new superintendent, as long-time Butler County educator Andrea Blevins took over for Mike Holbrook, who retired.
And Ross Schools ended the year on an at times contentious tone as its teacher labor union took preliminary steps toward a strike over stalled contract talks.
But a recent breakthrough in negotiations produced a tentative labor pact agreement that was approved Dec. 18 by the Ross Board of Education.
For Smith, the year held many bright spots among Fairfield’s schools.
“It is always hard to choose highlights, but two moments stand out. Graduation remains a favorite. This past May, 798 students graduated from Fairfield High School, with 143 earning a State of Ohio Honors Diploma, while the class collectively earned nearly $10 million dollars in scholarships,” said Smith.
“Another defining moment was our Back to School Bash, where community partnerships allowed us to distribute approximately 1,800 backpacks filled with supplies. That event has grown into a true service party, bringing together families, staff, first responders, volunteers, food, music, and fun, and it perfectly reflects who we are as a community.”
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