District seeks first-class win
By Jeff Gallatin
North Olmsted
Published Jan. 24, 2007

School officials are hoping a mailing campaign will help deliver voter approval of the proposed 6.5 mil operating levy in a February special election and avoid personnel and program cuts.

School Superintendent Kurt Stanic said the letters were mailed out to the community last week, with the intent of reaching out to the parents of students in the district.

“We’re seeking the parents of both public and private school students with this because they’re our primary audience,” Stanic said. “They have a specific interest in making sure there is a strong educational system for the students.”

He said there isn’t too much new in terms of informational content from the district in the letter.

“There shouldn’t be any surprises in this for them when they open it up and read it,” Stanic said. “We’ve been telling them about the situation for some time now. We do let them know there is urgency to this.”

School officials have said between 50 to 60 teaching, counseling and support staff jobs will be cut, district sports programs will be cut and the summer enrichment program eliminated if the levy doesn’t pass this time. It would raise more than $5 million. Current district estimates also place the projected shortfall if the levy fails at more than $5 million.

District voters have rejected the last four attempts by the district to pass operating levies in a little more than a year. They defeated a combined capital improvements/operating levy in November 2005, separate operating and capital improvement levies in May 2006 and single operating levy proposals in August and November.

As a result, the district has already implemented several cost saving measures and said it will take others if the latest operating levy doesn’t pass. In addition to the non-personnel cuts implemented earlier this month, the district approved cutting system busing to the state minimum starting April 1. Three administrative positions and their support staff  also are scheduled to be cut Aug. 1. All of these cuts will save several million, district officials said.

Stanic said the ones which will take place if the levy does not pass this time will have a major affect on the district educational process.

“I’ve said this before but these types of votes are a referendum on the excellent rating we received as a district,” Stanic said. “When I took this job, people told us to improve the academic performance. We’ve done that. But, it takes time to put these programs in place. I really don’t want to be taking them apart.”

If the levy fails, Stanic said the school board will have to move on the job cuts and the other cuts.

“We have to let people know what’s going on,” Stanic said. “We’ll have to notify people about contracts and whether they’ll be coming back. And that goes for sports too. People have to fill out their schedules now. If we’re not going to field teams then we’ll have to let our conference opponents know what’s going on.”

He said people who have objected to the large reserve fund should note that is has shrunk.

“It’s basically going to be gone,” Stanic said. “We’re going to have to get a levy passed one way or another.”

Stanic said he realizes seniors and other people on a fixed income have a hard time with the taxes going up because of levies.

“We don’t like having to pit people like seniors against parents and people who are still working,” Stanic said. “We don’t like the financial situation or how the state funds schools either. But, until the legislature acts on being told that its illegal, we still have to fund the schools to pay for the programs.”

Stanic also received verbal support from North Olmsted Mayor Thomas O’Grady, a former teacher in the district.

“There’s no question that people are taxed heavily nowadays and it’s a burden,” O’Grady said. “But, there’s also no question that we need to have strong schools for a strong community. It makes us all better to have an educated populace and a base which helps draw other people and businesses.”

O’Grady said in addition to supporting the local schools, he will continue to work in other ways to find more equitable funding options for education. He discussed it during his state of the city address to the North Olmsted Chamber of Commerce last Thursday. He cited his working with Akron Mayor Don Plusquellic and the area Mayor’s Roundtable.

“We will take a role because it affects our communities: We want to be part of the solution,” he said, noting that some of the mayors had pulled back from the public presentation made last week.

“That presentation didn’t address funding and some of us definitely want that discussed and dealt with,” O’Grady said. “The last thing we need is another unfounded mandate telling us to fix something without discussing how to do it.”

Stanic said he welcomes the support of the mayor and others.

“We need to do something,” Stanic said. “We’d rather be moving forward educationally instead of cutting programs.”