Financial concern is topic at forum

School board candidates said the state isn't providing much relief.
By MARY SMITH
VINDICATOR CORRESPONDENT
MINERAL RIDGE -- Concern about the financial future of Weathersfield and its school district was a common theme in questions posed by residents at a Sunday candidates forum at First Presbyterian Church.
About 80 residents attended the forum, hosted by the education committee of the church.
Board of education candidates on hand were incumbent Bruce Bacak, Cheryl Basista, John Hack and Debbie Maust.
Trustee candidates in attendance were incumbent Fred Bobovnyk, William Miller and Richard Harkins, a member of the township's zoning board of appeals.
Not much help
School board candidates said the state is extremely lax in helping school districts solve their financial problems. The district is dealing with a $1.3 million loss in tax revenue and was placed under fiscal caution in 2003.
Maust, a board member from 1999 to 2003, said that though while the district needs good staff and courses, "we have to force our legislators and the Supreme Court just to do their job."
She said the courts ruled 15 years ago that Ohio's school finance system needs to be overhauled, but it has still not been changed.
Hack said: "We are having trouble in Mineral Ridge. I will do whatever I can to work with the budget -- I don't want to go back to the voters again" for a levy.
He said in the past four or five years, with the passage of two levies, the community has become "a little bit" fractured. He also said school funding needs to change, starting at the state level.
Fiscal watchdog
Basista said the district's biggest problem is "finances, finances, finances."
She said the state has a governor who does not believe in education. She said if elected she will be a fiscal watchdog.
Candidates emphasized the need to try to get more grants.
Bacak said that being on the board means he knows what the state has done in the past 15 years, "which isn't much." He said the 1-percent return to schools on the Ohio lottery is taken out of the district's back pocket.
Trustee candidates said the township faces the challenge of pending loss in revenue as well. That's because the state has said it will change over from collecting inventory tax but has guaranteed the township for two years it will receive a business tax.
Bobovnyk said there is only a two-year guarantee on the business tax because the state runs on a biennial budget.
He added that the township has cut its budget by 9 percent by holding down costs, reducing spending by $271,483.
Asked by a resident what the biggest problem is, Harkins said it's finances, storm water, water and sewer.
Miller said finances are important because costs keep escalating.
Sewer, water priorities
All three candidates noted that a high priority is getting sewer and waterlines in the township where septic systems are in place and doing something about flooding problems, which plagued the township in 2003 and 2004. A dry summer spared the township the problems this year.