LORDSTOWN SCHOOLS Cut position worries official

The consultant met with union representatives and both school principals.
By DENISE DICK
VINDICATOR TRUMBULL STAFF
LORDSTOWN -- A consultant with the Ohio Department of Education is concerned that cutting the elementary school principal position may leave the building without someone to address crisis situations.
"I'm concerned that there would be times when the elementary school would not be covered, and we're talking about a building where there is not a guidance counselor to pick up the slack when there's a situation," Philip Binkley, a consultant for the department's fiscal assistance section, said at an oversight commission meeting Wednesday.
He referred to a child's being injured or a parent's needing to speak immediately to a administrator as a "situation."
Last month, Superintendent Raymond Getz submitted his recommendations for staffing cuts to commission members at the commission's request. The elementary principal post was included in the recommendations.
Fiscal emergency: The district is in fiscal emergency with a projected $1.35 million deficit by June 30. The commission was appointed to develop a financial recovery plan.
A five-year, 10.2-mill levy, which would generate $1.3 million annually, will be on the May primary election ballot.
Eliminating the elementary school position would save $63,430, district estimates show. Joe Agresta has occupied the job and is paid on a per-diem basis.
Binkley reviewed the recommendations for cuts to determine their effect of the district's quality of education. He said he met with the presidents of the Lordstown Teachers Association and the Ohio Association of Public School Employees and both principals to get their reactions to the proposed cuts.
"I told them if they don't like a particular item and believe it should be removed, they need to provide me with an alternative," Binkley said.
Who would handle duties: Eliminating the principal position would mean those duties would fall to Getz and Larry Crawford, high school principal.
"Both of those people have plates that are pretty full," Binkley said. "I don't know how much additional responsibility is feasible for those two positions."
Other recommended cuts include a librarian, nurse, secretary, part-time cafeteria worker, transportation coordinator and physical education, industrial arts and elementary arts teachers.
A part-time English teacher and a part-time math teacher also were recommended for the chopping block as well as maintenance, custodian and technology coordinator positions that were left vacant and haven't been filled.
Binkley said the result of those cuts would be larger class sizes and the elimination of some elective classes.
James Levero, commission chairman, said commission members plan to review Binkley's report along with the recommendations for cuts before making a decision on personnel reductions. The next commission meeting is 10 a.m. Wednesday in the high school media center.