Work, tough decisions facing Lima schools

LIMA — Lima schools officials have a lot of work and decision-making ahead of them following Tuesday’s failed levy attempt.Along with ironing out details to put in place $915,279 in cuts next school year, they must decide the next course of action. Another levy try and additional cuts are possibilities.“I think everything will have to be back on the table,” school board President Sandra Monfort said.The district’s five-year, 6.9 mill property tax levy failed by 52 percent, much better than the last levy attempt, which went down 61 percent.Lima schools officials were not alone in getting bad news Tuesday. Of the 165 issues on Ohio ballots Tuesday, 77 passed and 88 failed, the Ohio Department of Education reported.Board member Bobbi McGinnis has not supported a property tax, but instead believes an income tax would be fairer. The levy results, Monfort said, does not indicate that residents are against property taxes, but instead that financial times are tough.The school board will begin discussing its options at its March 13 regular meeting. The board meets at 6 p.m. at the Academy of Learning on North West Street. Monfort said the board will have to weigh when is best to go back to voters and with what ballot issue.In the meantime, the district will put in place the cuts the board previously approved if the levy failed. Included are two administrators, 11 teachers and three classified staff. Assistant Superintendent Jill Ackerman said the specific administrative positions have not been determined yet because much goes into restructuring duties. Officials also want to see what retirements are coming.“The ideal way to do a reduction is through attrition. Ultimately you don’t want someone to lose their jobs,” she said, adding that the district has continually reduced staff through attrition.Teaching reductions will include a teacher from each small school and the vocational program at the high school, as well as six elementary/middle school teachers. The drama teacher will not be replaced.Three classified positions and a nurse will also be cut, Ackerman said, and building enrollment will determine which buildings lose those positions.The district will hold off purchasing social studies and writing textbooks. They were the last few books in a cycle of new textbook adoptions. The textbooks have been around since before 2000. The district had been trying to purchase new ones every five years. General fund field trips will also be cut.Athletics will also suffer, athletic director Jim Offenbaker said. Six coaches are among the board-approved cuts, often leaving programs with just one coach.“You lose coaching, you lose supervision and those are important things,” he said, saying basketball is a good example. “Now I have one coach that is expected to be in the locker room for supervision, talking to the media or out in the gymnasium supervising.”Offenbaker added that while teams could get volunteers, there are numerous time-consuming and costly requirements to become one.The district’s goal was to not cut any athletic teams and to stay away from a pay-to-participate program. Offenbaker said officials examined the number of pupils in specific programs when determining cuts.The district faces a $2.7 million deficit in 2010. It could come earlier if enrollment drops, Treasurer Ryan Stechschulte said.If the board decides to go back to voters with a smaller levy, additional cuts would be needed. How much more the district can cut depends on a number of factors.“That would be a decision based on what class sizes we would like,” Stechschulte said. “What programs we would like to offer, what extracurricular activities we would like to offer.”