2 more Ohio urban school districts make big cuts

COLUMBUS (AP) — Two of Ohio’s major urban school districts have moved to cut millions of dollars in costs and hundreds of jobs.

The Columbus school board voted Tuesday night to reduce spending by $25 million and eliminate the equivalent of about 260 full-time jobs, including 75 teaching positions. The Columbus Dispatch reports most of those cuts will be through attrition, not layoffs.

Also on Tuesday, school officials in Dayton announced plans to slash nearly 300 jobs, including about 140 teachers. According to the Dayton Daily News, those cuts are part of $9 million in spending reductions.

Big-city Ohio school districts are struggling to balance their budgets in the face of cutbacks in state funding and declining student numbers. The Cleveland schools last month took the final step toward cutting roughly 900 jobs.