NILES School financial recovery depends on unions' OK

Wage freezes would just maintain the status quo, the board president said.
NILES -- A plan designed to keep city schools out of the red still faces some hurdles.
At a special meeting Wednesday, the board of education approved a recovery plan calling for wage freezes, an end to nonrequired field trips and other cuts.
The plan must be submitted to the Ohio Department of Education by Friday.
The plan must still be approved by state officials and is contingent on other local factors, including union approval.
"With the wage freezes, we don't actually experience any savings," said board President Terry Swauger. "We're not saving any money; we just aren't spending more."
Unions representing support staff and teachers -- the Ohio Association of Public School Employees Local 365 and the Niles Classroom Teachers Association -- must agree to the freezes. Their contracts expire Aug. 31.
Swauger said the recovery plan, which spans five years, shows the district ending this year in the black with a carryover of a little more than $200; next year's project is a $694 balance.
"It doesn't leave us much room to move," Swauger said. "If some catastrophic thing happens in our schools, we don't have the money to handle it."
Also on the list
School officials are looking at other ways to cut costs and increase revenue, including placing a levy before voters.
Swauger said he was in favor of holding off on any levies, preferring to prove to residents the district can learn to live within its means.
In recent weeks, board members have approved the layoff of more than 20 teachers and several other staff. They also agreed to close Garfield Elementary at the end of this year.
The moves come after state Auditor Betty Montgomery placed the district in fiscal watch earlier this year, citing a projected deficit of $2.9 million by the end of this school year.
Officials have argued that number with state officials, saying the reality is closer to $1.3 million.