Busing, Teachers on the Cutting Block After Proposed $1 Million in Cuts

Superintendent of Schools Dr. Dan Keenan laid out a tentative plan for $1 million in cuts following the school levy loss last Tuesday.

“We’re doing this because we can’t count on money coming in in January; we’re at the end of the levy cycle,” Keenan said.

With no new money coming in, the district, at current expenditures, would be $2.9 million in the red by the 2014-15 school year.

The cuts, announced at the May 13 school board meeting, will go into effect for the 2013-14 school year.

Cuts include:

• 3-5 elementary school positions
• Eliminating the gifted coordinator position at the middle school which was added through a grant.
• Reduce the preschool coordination program by 33 percent
• Cut summer school administration by 50 percent
• Eliminate one high school social studies staff member which will result in class sizes in the 30s and reduce social studies electives
• Eliminate the remaining consumer science position (school had 3, two were already reduced)
• Eliminate 1.5 special education teachers, resulting in the maximum case load across the board
• The retiring gifted math/AP coordinator, who is retiring, will not be replaced
• A half-time guidance counselor and a part-time physical education position will be cut
• One art position at the elementary school will be eliminated
• Busing within 1 mile of the school, including kindergarten students, which will reduce gas costs and bus runs, eliminating six bus driver positions

Keenan said other cuts and reductions are probable.

“This follows the $4.2 million in cuts we made in 2010” Keenan said. At that time, operations were heavily cut. Now, the district is reversing the cuts to 85 percent personnel and 15 percent operations.

That includes 8 percent administration ($75k), 64 percent teaching ($605k), 11 percent classified positions ($105K) and 16 percent operations ($150k).

Keenan noted that the 1-mile walking distance cut in busing is still not at the 2-mile state minimum and busing for private schools will not be replaced with a payment in lieu of provision, but remain intact the same as the public schools.

“All this is tentative on the official results,” Keenan said. The Cuyahoga County Board of Elections has not yet certified the results, and with 44 votes outstanding, a recount might be required.

Keenan said he would present the cuts formally at the June 10 Board of Education meeting.

Should the board opt for a November election, and it passes, Keenan said some of the cuts could be restored, including restoring elementary school positions, AP options, tech purchases, and the pre-school coordination program.

Cuts need to be made now

Keenan said since the district is at the end of the levy cycle, it will be at a $2.9 million deficit by the 2014-15 year without cuts.

“We have to start knocking that down now,” he said. “If we continued (without cuts) we’d have to make another $3 million in cuts then.”

Without cuts, it would also mean going back to the taxpayers with a higher millage rate.

He said the school district intends to do a community survey, noting that even if the levy had narrowly passed, it still would have indicated almost 50 percent didn’t approve of the request.

“Either way, we want to know what we need to provide the kids from the community's perspective,” Keenan said.