Western Reserve worries about costs

By JoANN JONES
VINDICATOR CORRESPONDENT
BERLIN CENTER -- The Western Reserve Board of Education and the district's superintendent of schools are concerned about rising costs and reduced state aid to education.
Superintendent Charles Swindler told the board at its meeting Thursday that that the projected increase in state funding for education for the two years beginning July 1 is only 2.8 percent. With operating costs rising faster than that, the district will have to cut back or face a deficit within five years, Swindler said. He added that the district has been starting to make changes to cut costs, such as working with the employee unions to reduce insurance rates.
He said the district would probably have to ask voters to pass a levy, but he gave no time frame.
Lobbying legislators
Swindler said every school district in the state is forming 10-person committees to lobby state legislators, asking them to increase state funding for education and to vote against providing money for charter schools, which would reduce the amount available for public education, Swindler said.
And though the board voted to place teacher Kriss Yeager of North Jackson in charge of the Gifted and Talented program for the 2002-03 school year, Swindler said it's not certain whether state funding will be available for her salary and the program.
He said that "$300 million has been cut out of the state budget, and this is one program we've heard will be cut."
School calendar
The board established the school calendar for 2002-03, with Aug. 26 as the first day for employees. Students will start Sept. 4, and the last day of classes will be June 10, 2003.