Relocation of offices to save city schools $425K per year

By Harold Gwin | August 13, 2009 at 12:00a.m.

Youngstown City Schools superintendent Dr. Wendy Webb

Community-service programs will now be centered in the central-office building.

YOUNGSTOWN — City schools’ officials say streamlining central-administration offices and moving them out of the Irene L. Ward Building at 20 W. Wood St. will save the district $425,000 a year.

Most of those savings will come in the form of reduced staff to correspond to a declining student enrollment, said Superintendent Wendy Webb.

Overall, the district has cut about 520 jobs and $32 million in spending over the last several years.

Most of the administrative offices will be moving to the Choffin Career & Technical Center on West Wood Street.

Tony DeNiro, assistant superintendent for business affairs, said the district needs to make $59,500 in renovations to sections of the first and fourth floors of that building to accommodate the move.

Harry Evans, district chief of maintenance, said the $59,000 is just the cost of materials. Nearly all the work will be done by district personnel, so there is no additional labor charge above their regular salaries.

The school district began looking at moving out of the central-office building more than a year ago as a way to reduce operating costs as it works to recover from state-designated fiscal emergency.

There was some initial discussion about trying to sell the building, but the district is now looking at leasing some of the space, expanding and coordinating its community-service programs there, and, eventually, putting the new Rayen Early College Middle School in part of the building.

Webb said a postsecondary technology school is interested in leasing the treasurer’s suite on the first floor of the Ward building.

That deal isn’t final yet, but it will provide some funds to offset the ongoing cost of utilities and custodial services in the building, she said. More rental space is available, she said.

DeNiro said there is also some interest from the nearby YWCA in leasing a portion of the Ward parking lot.

Webb’s office will be moving to space on Choffin’s first floor. The treasurer’s, business-affairs, human-resources and instruction offices will all be moved to the fourth floor, probably by the end of October.

Some of the Ward building will then remain vacant, although portions of it will become the district’s community-service facility.

The new Parent Pathways Institute, an outgrowth of the Parent Patrol program, will expand operations there, primarily through the use of volunteers who will assist parents with everything from tutoring issues to nutrition, even serving as a resource and referral system for people who face such difficulties as losing a job or having a home damaged by fire.

“There will be constant activity for parents,” Webb said.

“I’m excited about the move and using this building for community service,” she said. “We are a community that needs to help each other, support each other.”

The district also will open a discount store in the building, offering school uniforms, school supplies and school-pride items to parents at low cost, Webb said.

The community-partnerships office and the community-liaison office will also remain at Ward, she said.

The Youngstown Adult Basic Literacy Education program at Choffin will move to Ward, and school board meetings will still be on the building’s second floor, she said.

DeNiro said the special-education office and food-service office already have relocated to Choffin.

The computer-technology office and data-system offices will remain at Ward, and the district will consolidate all of its record-keeping activities in the building’s basement.

gwin@vindy.com