Theo Peck-Suzuki is a journalist from Appalachian Ohio.

ATHENS, Ohio (WOUB/Report for America) — There’s a pattern emerging at school board meetings across southeast Ohio: Districts are losing money, and they’re cutting staff to stay afloat.
Some districts, such as Meigs and Alexander, have made these cuts quietly, through a process called attrition: If a staff member retires, the district doesn’t hire someone new. For other districts, attrition isn’t enough. The cu...

ATHENS, Ohio (WOUB/Report for America) — Michelle Anderson cried when she realized she would have to live in a tent.
Until last year, the 58-year-old Athens resident had a house and a job. Then she had a heart attack, followed by other health complications that repeatedly landed her in the hospital. After losing the house to foreclosure, she moved into a hotel, hoping to find something more permanent soon....

ATHENS, Ohio (WOUB/Report for America) — Being on Hopewell’s RN care management team was Erin Eddleblute’s dream job.
“We were kind of — and this was how our boss referred to it and I loved it — the junk drawer of Hopewell,” Eddleblute said.
She and the other RN care managers would work one-on-one with clients on all manner of issues. One client had blood sugar in the 600s every day; with Eddleblute’s help...

MCCONNELSVILLE, Ohio (WOUB/Report for America) — For Aaron Dulaney, it was the perfect validation.

The Morgan High School teacher spent three years volunteering after hours with a group of students who wanted to participate in Ohio’s burgeoning school esports scene. This year, the district agreed to make him a paid coach.

“Just like a football coach, just like a baseball coach,” Dulaney said. “That was a huge thing for