Homepage | Archives | Calendar of Events | Exploring Akron | Lawn & Garden | Society | Pets | Death Notices | Get email news alerts | About Us
Community News

Akron Public Schools cut 84 teachers

7/12/2012 - West Side Leader
      permalink bookmark

By Becky Tompkins

DOWNTOWN AKRON — Akron Public Schools (APS) will open with 84 fewer teachers this fall.

That’s about two-and-a-half to three teachers per school building, said Board of Education President Jason Haas.

The school board voted to make the staff reductions at its July 9 meeting in an effort to reduce its deficit. School districts are required by law to balance their budgets.

The 84 cuts were necessary even after the usual end-of-year retirements, Haas said. “These 84 are not retirements — we just can’t afford them,” he said.

The reasons for the suspension of the contracts, according to Superintendent David James’ recommendation, include “decreased student enrollment, lack of program funding, curriculum changes, lack of district funds, the financial condition of the district, and economy and efficiency.”

Board member Lisa Mansfield told of reading a news item last week stating that Ohio just added $235 million to its rainy-day fund, for a balance of $482 million, but that this money would not be used to help cash-strapped Ohio school districts.

She questioned the meaning of “rainy day,” saying, “to me, 84 teachers is rain.”

The district has been planning on putting a levy on the Nov. 6 General Election ballot, and discussion turned to how large the levy will need to be, now that final numbers for the end of the fiscal year are in.

APS Treasurer Jack Pierson had put together scenarios for levies of different millage amounts, from 7.5 to 8.5 mills, and how much the district would still have to cut even after the levy passes. One mill raises $2.44 million, Pierson said.

Without any new levy money, Pierson projects the APS’ debt would be $22.6 million in fiscal year (FY) 2014, $32 million in FY 2015 and $37 million in FY 2016. He said his figures assume “no pay increases for anyone.”

A 7.5-mill levy would raise $18.3 million per year, he said. This would still require reductions of $9 million to end the fiscal year with $2.4 million. Such a small balance is “cutting it very close” in a large school district, Pierson said. “A larger balance would be much better,” with the typical APS year-end balance around $25 million to $30 million, he said.

Increasing the millage of the levy would decrease the size of the cuts that would need to be made, he said. A 7.8-mill levy would raise $19 million per year, an 8-mill levy would raise $19.5 million and an 8.5-mill levy would raise $20.7 million per year, with the amount of budget cuts necessary going down proportionately, according to Pierson.

Board member the Rev. Curtis Walker asked how large the levy millage would need to be to allow the district not to have to make any annual budget cuts. Pierson said to avoid having to cut an additional $9 million, the levy would probably need to be 11.5 mills.

Mansfield noted that extreme cuts would be very difficult, since the district has already “cut to the bone — there’s not any fluff left there.”

The board members will choose one of the levy scenarios at their next meeting, July 23, and take the first vote necessary to put the levy on the ballot, Haas said.

In other business, the board approved the promotion of Tammy Brady to principal of Resnik Community Learning Center (CLC). She was previously assistant principal at Leggett CLC.

The new principal of Litchfield Middle School will be Dyan Floyd. She has been assistant principal at Jennings Middle School. Both two-year contracts are effective July 31.

The board’s next regular meeting is set for July 23 at 5:30 p.m. at the Sylvester Small Administration Building, 70 N. Broadway in Downtown Akron.

      permalink bookmark