Teachers union suggestion for where to cut jobs gets nowhere

STAFF REPORT

YOUNGSTOWN — A teachers union suggestion that four administrative posts be considered for elimination to cut city school district spending got no support from the state fiscal oversight commission.

Roger Nehls, chairman of the commission that controls district spending, said Thursday that the Youngstown Education Association sent the commission a letter asking that the four positions be looked at for reduction as a way to lower the number of teacher positions being eliminated in the 2009-10 fiscal year, which begins July 1.

A total of 31 teaching posts will be cut as part of the district’s economic recovery plan.

The four administrative posts targeted by the YEA have a combined salary of about $217,000.

Nehls said that three of the positions — district ombudsman, manager of community partnerships and enrollment coordinator at Choffin Career & Technical Center — aren’t paid out of general-fund revenue but are federal Title I and other grant positions.

The money used to pay those salaries can’t be diverted to classroom teachers, he said.

The fourth position — accountant — is a general-fund job, but the commission wants to be very cautious with any cuts in the treasurer’s office due to the district’s financial condition, Nehls said.

Youngstown is in state-designed fiscal emergency because it has been running budget deficits.

Nehls said the treasurer is in the midst of examining his staffing levels, and the accountant’s position could come up again.

He said the ombudsman and manager of community partnerships are “very valuable” in terms of outreach and finding resources for the school district.

The enrollment coordinator is needed for the district’s career and technical education programs to bring in students from other districts to fill classroom space, he said.

Fifty-six of the 515 students at Choffin come from outside districts.