Financial Reporting For STEM Schools

Ohio law requires each STEM/STEAM school to comply with Section 5705.391 of the Revised Code which requires the submission of a financial forecast by August 31 and a financial forecast update by February 28.
 
The financial forecast serves as a tool to communicate and assess the financial health of schools and school districts. Each forecast contains two components: 1) the financial data and 2) notes for each reported line item that provide information necessary to understand the data submission. In addition to the two required submissions, a school may submit an updated forecast at any time and the Department recommends schools do so when significant financial changes occur.

The procedure for filing the two required financial forecasts varies depending on the type of STEM or STEAM school:

Financial Reports for STEM/STEAM Schools with Independent Governing Bodies

If the STEM/STEAM school is an independent STEM/STEAM school with a separate governing body and is not a community school or part of a school district, the school's governing body is responsible for filing the required financial forecasts.

Financial forecasts must be approved by the governing body, submitted by the August 31 and February 28 deadlines, and must include notes for each reported line item that describe the assumptions used to develop the projected amounts. Schools are required to submit the forecast using the Excel template provided below. Schools may submit the required notes as a separate PDF file if desired.

Submissions must be emailed to STEM@education.ohio.gov by each required due date.

• Template for Financial Reporting (STEM/STEAM Schools with Independent Governing Bodies (*NEW JUNE 2026*)

Most Recent Financial Forecast Submissions

• Bio-Med Science Academy STEM School
• Community STE(A)M Academy
• Dayton Regional STEM School
• Global Impact STEM Academy
• iSTEM
• Metro Early College High School
• Tri-State STEM+M High School
• Valley STEM+ME² Academy

If the STEM/STEAM school is governed and controlled by a school district and the school district is a municipal, city, local, exempted village, or joint vocational school district, the STEM/STEAM school's district is responsible for filing the required financial forecasts and they can be found here: Financial Forecasts for District STEM/STEAM Schools.

If the STEM/STEAM school is a community school with STEM/STEAM school equivalent designation, the school's sponsor is responsible for filing the required financial forecasts and they can be found here: Financial Reports for Community STEM/STEAM Schools.

If the STEM/STEAM school is a chartered nonpublic school with STEM/STEAM school equivalent designation, it is not subject to this section of the ORC.

For questions regarding any of the information provided here, please email STEM@education.ohio.gov.

Last Modified: 8/7/2026 7:40:03 AM

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