Board votes 5-0 to place levy on ballot

The superintendent said the levy needs the support of all board members.
By SHERRI L. SHAULIS
VINDICATOR TRUMBULL STAFF
NILES -- The school board's president did an about-face with his support of a proposed levy but not before explaining his reasons for the self-proclaimed flip-flop.
John H. Davis, who earlier this week cast the sole dissenting vote to place an emergency levy on the February special election ballot, voted for the second reading of the resolution at Thursday's meeting.
The resolution, which will place a 4.8-mill, five-year emergency levy before the voters Feb. 8, passed by a 5-0 vote.
Davis said he originally ran for the board with "the intent of improving the physical facilities" of Niles City Schools.
At his previous vote against the levy, Davis said he was not in favor of an emergency or an operational levy, but instead wanted a permanent improvement levy.
Money from that type of levy could be used to fix leaky roofs and failing boiler and heating systems at several of the district's schools.
Here's the problem
Now, Davis said, he knows it's up to the local board and community to fix the Niles schools' fiscal situation, which shows the schools will end the 2004-05 school year more than $999,000 in the red.
"The problems were created by the politicians in Columbus," he said, referring to legislators' failure to fix a statewide funding system for schools the Ohio Supreme Court has declared unconstitutional.
"They will not fix it," he continued. "We must fix it."
The unanimous vote followed an admonishment of the board by Superintendent Rocco D. Adduci and a presentation from Scott Bennington, assistant director of finance and management services at the Ohio Department of Education Center for School Finance and Accountability.
In his address to the board and the audience, Adduci noted that support from the board and the staff for the levy was instrumental for its passage by the public.
"We need all five of you," he said to board members. "If we don't, what are you saying to the community? We're saying that it's OK, that we don't need some of these programs."
Adduci was referring to programs that could be cut if Niles schools are placed under state-imposed fiscal emergency status.
Bennington, whose staff works with districts in fiscal emergency, informed board members of what they could expect if state Auditor Betty Montgomery places such a designation on the district.
What would occur
Though the schools would be able to receive an advance on state foundation money, Bennington said, a five-person fiscal oversight commission would be created to help manage all the district's financial decisions.
The commission's main job, Bennington said, would be to restore fiscal integrity at city schools.
The local board, he added, would remain intact, but the commission would assume as much authority from the board as deemed necessary.
He also noted that while the benefits packages of contracts already in place with the teaching and support staff unions could not be cut by the commission, they could order reductions in force. The commission would look to reduce administration and nonteaching positions first, he said, but teachers could be cut.
Other school districts in Ohio that have gone into fiscal emergency status have been forced to cut everything from busing to athletics to honors programs.
"Everything's on the table as far as the commission's concerned," he said.
slshaulis@vindy.com