SCHOOL FUNDING Audit advises closing, relocation

The audit also praised steps already taken to reduce the schools' debts.
By SHERRI L. SHAULIS
VINDICATOR TRUMBULL STAFF
MINERAL RIDGE -- Closing the middle school and relocating pupils to the elementary and high schools would not only be the best use of space but also a major money-saving move, a state audit suggests.
The performance audit, conducted by Ohio Auditor Betty Montgomery's office and released Tuesday, praised local school officials and the board of education on cuts already made to improve the district's financial situation, but offered other suggestions to keep the schools out of the red.
"Based on the capacity and utilization analysis, Weathersfield should consider closing the middle school and restructuring the elementary school to include fifth- and sixth-graders and the high school to include seventh- and eighth-graders," the audit states. "Doing so would ensure optimal use of space and save the district approximately $382,700 annually."
Weathersfield Local schools are under a state-imposed fiscal watch. Cuts in state funding, as well as a reconfiguration in the amount of taxes paid by RMI Titanium Inc. to the school district, placed Weathersfield schools in poor financial status.
In an effort to reduce an anticipated debt and to avoid being placed in fiscal emergency, the board has already implemented several cost-cutting measures, including cutting busing to state minimum requirements.
Emergency levy
Superintendent Rocco D. Adduci said the board and school officials will review the auditor's suggestions, but will still focus on getting voters to pass a levy issue on the August special-election ballot.
"The passage of the 5.5-mill emergency levy would pre-empt any cuts the state is suggesting," he said.
In the audit, Montgomery noted the cuts already made in the district, including a plan to not replace educators retiring at the end of the school year, a switch in health-care plans by the school staff and reducing overtime in many departments.
In addition to closing the middle school, Montgomery's audit also suggested reducing staffing levels, requiring all employees to pay a portion of their health-care premiums and negotiating with its collective bargaining staff on alternatives for maintenance and repair services to the district's buses.
Montgomery also wrote that while the suggestions are not mandatory, they would "provide a road map" for the schools to achieve financial recovery.
slshaulis@vindy.com