Salem school board backs off initial plan for cost-cutting

SALEM -- The city school board will take more time to determine how it will carve about $1 million from the district's expenses to avoid a deficit.
The panel voted Tuesday to rescind a resolution adopted earlier this month to save the money by closing either Prospect Elementary or the middle school and by reducing staffing through attrition.
Board members have since decided to do more research before embarking on a cost-cutting campaign, school board President Marguerite Miller said this morning.
One key piece of information officials are awaiting is a structural engineer's report on the soundness of the middle school on North Lincoln Avenue.
Engineers are scrutinizing the early-1900s building after it was discovered that its north wall appears to be crumbling.
It's possible the engineer could recommend that the building be razed.
Closing it would result in about 14 layoffs and would require sending its nearly 400 pupils to another building, probably the high school.