Districts Brace for Possibility of Even Less Funding (OH)
July 29, 2010
Attrition is a common word at local school district board of education meetings.
When an employee resigns or retires, they simply aren’t replaced, to save money.
Coshocton City Schools has eliminated three positions through attrition in the past year.
"We are not currently anticipating any staff cuts unless there is a state funding cut to balance the budget," said Gary Lowe, Coshocton City Schools treasurer.
Ohio Department of Education spokeswoman Julie Daubenmire said staff cuts are decisions made at local levels, but the ODE works with districts on their budgets.
"In terms of the state budget, we certainly recognize that resources are very tight. We’re gearing up to start work on the new budget, and we’re still very much in the preliminary work, so it’s kind of hard to anticipate what funding for schools will be going into the next budget cycle," Daubenmire said.
Coshocton City Schools lowest projected balance of $1,498,599 in the five-year-financial forecast i s at the end of this fiscal year.
"Out of 13 positions, we’ve probably replaced nine of them, within the past two years," River View Local School District Superintendent Kyle Kanuckel said.
For the most part, districts have dodged mass layoffs of teachers despite the start of the economic recession in late 2008. However, local districts have cut back on everything else, from programming to the purchasing of text books to avoid staff cuts.
Seven years ago there were 31 bus routes at River View. Today, there are 22.
U.S. Department of Education Director Arne Duncan visited Cincinnati Public Schools in May and warned the nation that without an additional $23 billion in federal spending to offset coming cuts in state educational funding, Ohio, Kentucky and other states would experience layoffs as soon as the upcoming school year.
The federal government’s $787 billion economic stimulus package of 2009 reportedly saved an estimated 300,000 education jobs last school year, but that money has dried up. The recession is ongoing and superintendents and administrators are worried about the upcoming state budget, which projects historically deep cuts in funding in state school aid.
"We should not go into the red unless a drastic 10 percent state cut happens," Lowe said.
The Ridgewood Local School District stays in the black until 2013, when a negative balance of $597,358 and that number continues into the red in 2014 when it reaches negative $2,873,378.
School districts have been cutting back for years now.
"You have to look at all your options. With the cuts we went through six of seven years ago, honestly, we’re real close to the bone now. Our people are working smarter and I know we’re working harder, and for us to go through another cut like we did then would be very difficult," Kanuckel said.