GIRARD SCHOOLS Auditor suggests levy on Nov. ballot

Girard schools have been under fiscal caution since March.
By TIM YOVICH
VINDICATOR TRUMBULL STAFF
GIRARD -- State Auditor Betty Montgomery says the Girard School District could save $700,000 annually if her recommendations are followed.
The recommendations are contained in a performance audit released Thursday.
One of the audit's recommendations is that district officials place a levy on the Nov. 4 general election ballot. The school board followed that recommendation, and district voters will see a 5.9-mill operating levy on the ballot.
Expected revenue
If passed, the levy is expected to generate $850,000 annually. It is a continuous issue.
"Time and costs have caught up to us," Superintendent Marty Santillo said today, pointing out the district has not had an operating levy approved since 1988.
"The administration of Girard City Schools has clearly demonstrated their dedication to their students and the community by proactively working to reduce expenses," Montgomery said in a prepared statement.
"Our recommendations provide a blueprint for fiscal recovery, and we look forward to working with the district to achieve fiscal solvency."
"It's evident we need the money," said board president Jane Harris.
Even if the tax issue receives voter approval, Harris said, the district still needs to continue reducing costs.
The Ohio Department of Education placed the district under fiscal caution in March. That sparked the state to conduct the performance audit.
The district was placed under fiscal caution because it couldn't show it will be operating in the black for the next five years.
Debt projected
The district has projected it a $1.4 million debt by the end of 2004.
Many of the recommendations in the performance audit already have been implemented, Montgomery said, or are in the process of being done.
Recommendations made in the performance audit are not mandatory, but they do "provide a road map for the entity to achieve financial recovery," the auditor's office said.
The district has made some significant achievements, the prepared statement said. Girard schools had an improved district report card rating from "continuous improvement" in the 1999-2000 school year to "effective" in 2001-02.
The district's maintenance staff maintains more square footage per full-time maintenance employee than its peer districts or national average, the audit noted.
The district administration also has successfully decreased expenditures by reducing costs relating to staff, supplemental contracts, supplies and services.
The district is not required to follow a financial recovery plan, but it's recommended that the district routinely update the plan as critical financial issues come up.
Key recommendations the district has implemented includes reducing clerical staffing that saved about $85,000 and cutting some supplemental contracts to save $55,000.
"The audit says what we have been telling the people all along," Harris asserted.
Another recommendation is that employees contribute 10 percent toward insurance premiums.
yovich@vindy.com