North Canton Schools Awarded $95,000 in First Round of Casino Taxes

North Canton City Schools have casinos to thank for a big chunk of change it will acquire this month.

The district will receive $95,699.47 through Ohio casino taxes, according to the Ohio Department of Taxation. 

"We'll take any additional money we can get in our district to help offset the losses we've been taking in the last couple years," District Treasurer Todd Tolson said.

The district has seen about a $1 million loss in this year compared to last year, he said. He attributes that to a decrease in state funding and loss of local revenue with new valuations that have dropped.

So, the additional money is welcomed by the district, but when looking at the big picture, it will only help the district "continue to survive," Tolson said.

"Ninety-five thousand dollars represents about a quarter of 1 percent of the budget," he said. "So, fractionally, it's a small piece of the pie."

The Cleveland Plain Dealer reported this week that the state will give $37.9 million in casino taxes to more than 1,000 Ohio school districts and charter schools. The newspaper said Ohio's 88 counties divide 51 percent, according to population. School districts share 34 percent, according to enrollment.

When you look at Stark County as a whole, it will receive $210,180.24.

Tolson said the district has not planned for the money because it had no way of knowing exactly how much it would receive. Districts are slated to receive another round of money from casino taxes in August.

"As we begin our budgeting process for next year, we will definitely consider a portion of the revenues and factor that in," Tolson said. "We always try to err on the side of caution, so when we factor anything in, we will do it in a cautionary nature."

Take a look below to see how North Canton compares to other nearby school districts, including Perry, Canton, Massillon and Jackson. You can find those and other schools on this Department of Taxation spreadsheet.

Sen. Scott Oelslager touched on the topic of Ohio's casinos when he visited the North Canton Rotary Club in July.

"The casinos (Cleveland's Horseshoe Casino and Toledo's Hollywood) brought in $19 million ... in the first month," Oelslager said. "All that money will go to local schools and local governments as far as the profits are concerned. That'll be funneling down to local schools and local governments to help them meet the needs of their local constituents. We estimate that the casinos in round figures will bring in between $400-500 million a year."