Board decides to close Davis

By Ed Runyan

AUSTINTOWN

Board

decides to close Davis

A committee will also consider requiring students to dress in uniforms.

AUSTINTOWN — The Austintown Board of Education voted 3-0 to close Davis Elementary at the end of this school year.

The board will meet at 6 p.m. March 18 at the board offices in Austintown Middle School to discuss how to redistribute the pupils from the five kindergarten through grade 3 schools into one less building.

Uncertainty about ramifications of the consolidation caused two of the five board members to abstain from voting, but 3-0 was sufficient for approval of the measure, board members said.

Board President Dr. David Ritchie said he abstained from voting because he wished there had been “more time” to work out details of the redistribution.

Board member Traci Morse said she would have liked to table the vote, but the board had already asked for a vote on whether to close the school — so it was too late by then.

“I don’t think you can close the building without knowing what you’re going to do next,” Morse said after the vote.

Of the three other board members, two said they approved the closing because they believe the district needs to offer more modern technology — such as computers — at those grade levels.

Board members Richard Zimmerman and Joyce Pogany said they voted to close Davis because the Ohio School Facilities Commission will not allow its money to be spent on renovating current elementary buildings. Board member Louis Chine also voted for the closing.

The decision to close Davis Elementary is a difficult one, Pogany said.

“The mothers and fathers are upset. We knew they would be,” she said — referring to Davis Elementary parents, about 20 of whom walked out after the vote.

The district, which is anticipating a deficit of more than $5 million by next school year, says closing Davis will save around $500,000 per year.

Some of the Davis Elementary parents and staff attended a Parent Teacher Association meeting a week ago to ask Superintendent Doug Heuer to explain the reasons why Davis was selected, when building assessments didn’t all agree on which building was in the worst shape.

Chine, who attended the PTA meeting, said he felt like he was being scolded by the parents who spoke last week. They charged that the school board ignored the need for new roofs for several elementary schools when it agreed to build new board offices and upgrade athletic facilities.

As a newly elected board member, Chine said he hadn’t spent “a dime” yet and that the district spent donated money on most of the athletic improvements — money that was given specifically for athletics.

Chine said the school board needed to consider what is best for the “whole community” rather than just for one group.

“If we were closing Watson [Elementary] or Woodside [Elementary], we’d be hearing from them,” he said.

Heuer said he hopes the board will decide March 18 whether it wants to evaluate redistribution of all 1,400 elementary school pupils, only the redistribution of the 203 students at Davis, or something in between.

After that is decided, the building principals, transportation supervisor and other administrators will determine how to carry that out.

Ritchie said he hopes that will allow the board to tell all parents by the April 21 meeting where their child will be attending school next year.

Heuer said it is likely the closing of Davis will reduce payroll by eliminating the need for about 10 or 11 nonteaching personnel such as a secretary, maintenance, cooks and teaching assistants. It is unclear whether the move will reduce the number of teachers, Heuer said.

In other action, Ritchie announced that a committee will begin meeting this spring to discuss the possibility of instituting a uniform clothing policy for the district that would go into effect next school year.

By requiring certain types and colors of shirts and pants, the district can reduce costs for parents and reduce conflict caused by peer pressure to dress a certain way, officials said.

runyan@vindy.com