By KAREN MUNDY
The Press-News
CANTON TWP. -- "The Big Give" was part of the regular meeting of the Canton Local Board of Education on Monday night.
Meeting at the administrative center, the board accepted the concessions made by the certified and classified associations and the administrative team that will save the district $405,000. These groups decided to make the concessions rather than reduce staff through layoffs.
According to a release prepared by superintendent Teresa Purses, Canton Local is facing increases in costs, including insurance, fuel and utilities. At the same time, only modest increases are occurring in funding. The gap between costs and resources would have been more than $2 million for the 2008-09 school year.
The release said that although a 9.8-mill levy was approved in 2006, declining enrollment, rapid increases in costs and the phasing out of personal tangible property taxes for business, due to a House bill, has significantly added to the district's deficit.
In addition to the concessions made by the associations and administrative staff, the district has several other steps planned to make up the $2 million. They include reducing staff by 20 positions through attrition, reducing budgets in every area, offering open enrollment, leasing space at Prairie College Elementary, reducing two buses from the routes and creating cluster stops, reducing extracurricular cost by 25 percent, considering increasing student fees and considering charging the cost of electricity to groups that use the gym.
Board members also passed a resolution to express "their appreciation to the staff for their actions to save jobs and protect programs for students."
During his treasurer's report, Michael Bischel reported that 2010 fiscal year finances are still a major concern. He said that will be the year for a new state budget, and Gov. Strickland has promised to work on school funding, but at this point the financing for the district for 2010 is uncertain.
Prior to the start of the regular meeting, the board of education also honored several retirees who had served in the district for many years. They included Dru Barger, teacher at Prairie College, 30 years; Susan Brown, teacher at Canton South, 34 years; Terri Crilow, teacher at Walker, 25 years; Carole Hall, secretary at Canton South, 28 years; Kathryn Mathie, teacher at Amos and Prairie College, 36 years; Cherie Miesmer, teacher at Amos McDannel, 36 years; Karen Muir, educational paraprofessional at Amos McDannel, 24 years; Betty Jo Noll, educational paraprofessional at Walker, 13 years; Pat Offredo, principal at Faircrest, 43 years; Elaine Pepper, teacher at Canton South, 30 years; Shirley Singer, secretary at the administrative center, 29 years; Janet Sommers, curriculum supervisor at administrative center, 32 years; John Vargo, custodian at the high school, 24 years and Thomas Wissuchek, bus driver, eight years. Board member Scott Hamilton recalled his time as a junior high student when Offredo encouraged him to do his best and told him he knew he was capable of doing more. Hamilton said those words changed his motivation as a student, and he has never forgotten those words.
In other business, the board:
* ACCEPTED the resignation/retirement of the following: Susan Brown, teacher at Canton South High School; Janet Sommers, curriculum supervisor; Tim Matthews, bus driver;
* APPROVED the employment of the following personnel: Janet Sommers, six days as curriculum consultant; Jan Dieringer and Tom Wissuchek, substitute bus drivers;
* APPROVED a tuition waiver for the 2007-08 school year for Athena Stone of Louisville under Children Living with Grandparents;
* ACCEPTED gifts and donations including: $173.57 from Wendy Busnick-Wishing Well; $159.50 from the Canton South Junior Guild; and $600 from the Faircrest staff;
* APPROVED a list of students to receive their high school diplomas at graduation ceremonies on June 3;
* APPROVED renewal of membership in the Ohio High School Athletic Association;
* APPROVED the employment of summer school staff at Multi-County Juvenile Attention System, including Zettie Sims, principal;
* HEARD the first reading to adopt and purchase new instructional materials for the medical science technology;
* DENIED a request by Bobbi L. Newell, teacher at Canton South, to take a leave of absence for a year due to the uncertainty of finances at this time, not because of the teaching performance of Newell;
* DECIDED to suspend Canton Local-sponsored Aspire Academy and Canton Local Digital Academy, but have the programs become a part of the offerings in the district;
* APPROVED an overnight student trip for students to attend a national conference in Texas; there will be no cost to the board and no student days missed;
* WENT into an executive session to discuss personnel, with no decision to follow.
The next regular meeting of the board of education will be 7:30 p.m. June 9 in the administrative center.