D'Ambrosio rehired as superintendent

The former center chief is the best choice, the board president said.
By PETER H. MILLIKEN
VINDICATOR TRUMBULL STAFF
WARREN -- The Trumbull County Educational Service Center Governing Board voted unanimously to rehire Anthony D'Ambrosio as superintendent from March 1 to July 31.
D'Ambrosio, who retired Dec. 31 after five years as the center's superintendent, will be paid $38,646 for those five months.
His pay rate will be 90 percent of what he would have earned during that period based on the $105,398 a year he made when he retired. Board policy says a superintendent who is rehired after retirement is to be paid at least 10 percent less than his pre-retirement salary.
Upon his return to work, D'Ambrosio, who has had a 35-year career in education, will collect his salary and his State Teacher's Retirement System pension, and STRS will pay for his health care.
Guidelines
STRS doesn't release pension amounts for individual retirees, but the system's published guidelines say a retiree with 35 years of contributing service would receive 88.5 percent of the average of his three highest years of Ohio public earnings.
"Especially in this area, we have a lot of people who are concerned about rehiring retired public employees when we have so many people whose jobs are in limbo, or whose health care is in limbo or whose pensions are up in the air," Ron Knight, board president, said Monday.
Knight added, however, "We have to weigh all the factors, and I feel that Dr. D'Ambrosio is the best choice to be the superintendent here because he has a qualification, which no one else has: He's been in the position for the last five years. And the board's pleased with his performance.
"And when you consider the fact he'll be working at a reduced salary ... I just felt that is the best decision for the ESC," Knight said, referring to the board's vote.
Other details
As was the case before his retirement, the board will continue to pay 24 percent of D'Ambrosio's salary to STRS. That figure includes the 14 percent the board normally picks up and the 10 percent the employee ordinarily pays.
Had D'Ambrosio returned to work immediately after his retirement, state law would have required him to forgo his pension for the first 60 days after his retirement.
D'Ambrosio was superintendent in Girard, Southington and Newton Falls school districts before assuming the county superintendent position.. The ESC employs 268 people and has 20 member school districts in Trumbull County.
Victoria A. Giovangnoli, who has been interim superintendent during D'Ambrosio's absence, will remain as associate superintendent after D'Ambrosio returns.
In other action, the board accepted the resignation of Patricia Proctor, a speech pathologist who will retire Feb. 28 after more than 20 years with the board.
Formerly known as the county board of education, the ESC provides curriculum, technology, psychology, audiology, and speech, occupational and physical therapy services to its member school districts. It also operates special education preschool programs for the districts.
milliken@vindy.com