In the state of Ohio’s most recent capital budget proposal, lawmakers have allocated some $29 million for Central State University to fund campus renovations. However, the funding comes with a key stipulation: the HBCU must give the Ohio Department of Administrative Services or another government entity oversight of its facilities before the money can be released, according to a report from Signal Ohio.
This proposal follows a 2024 decision that placed Central State University, the state’s only public historically Black university, on a fiscal watch due to consistent fiscal challenges. Since then, the HBCU has been required to file quarterly progress reports with the Ohio Department of Higher Education. Additionally, the state auditor’s office has been assisting the university with budgeting, accounting, and reporting procedures.
State Senator Kyle Koehler told Signal Ohio that the oversight provision stems from the state’s long-held concerns with Central State’s fiscal management.
“Any time we’re appropriating money to Central State, there’s been a question of have they got things right and are they moving forward,” he said.
However, Senator Koehler said he still believes in Central State’s future, adding, “Central State is trying very hard to make the right decisions to keep Ohio’s only public historically Black college open and operating.”
