Poland district faces ‘worst’ forecast

By Ashley Luthern | October 25, 2011 at 12:05a.m.

POLAND

It’s déjà vu for Poland schools.

After two additional levies were defeated back-to-back last November and May, the district’s treasurer expects the state to declare the district in fiscal caution this year after he submits the five-year forecast.

“This is one of the worst forecasts I’ve ever worked on,” said treasurer Donald Stanovcak at Monday’s board of education meeting.

By law, districts in Ohio are required to send a five-year forecast to the state Department of Education every six months. The next forecast deadline is Monday.

Superintendent Robert Zorn said the situation is similar to what happened from 2002 to 2003 when voters turned down two measures before approving a 6.9-mill additional levy in 2003.

Stanovcak told the board the district should have a balance of about $1.5 million in carry-over at the end of this school year and about $200,000 at the end of the 2012-13 school year.

But by 2014, the district likely will have a $2 million deficit, followed by a $4.3 million deficit in 2015 and a $6.9 million deficit in 2016.

“If that remains true, the state will classify [the district] in fiscal watch,” he said. The state can classify districts as being in fiscal caution, watch and emergency.

He said the last budget projections were released in June. Since then, the district paid out about $300,000 in severance as teachers retired and is preparing for at least a $54,000 loss from the county property tax re-evaluations.

Although Stanovcak said he doesn’t know the personal reasons teachers retired, he said he assumes that laws concerning collective bargaining at the state level played a role.

The cuts have helped “but unfortunately, it just wasn’t enough,” he said.

Zorn said cuts made after the levies’ defeat total about $1.5 million.

“Twenty teachers retired, and some were not replaced. We laid off or partially laid off 49 of 290 employees. Our capital outlay is zero. Supplies are cut,” he said, adding buildings are only being repaired if it’s absolutely necessary to keep them open.

“There’s no way [the budget] can be brought to balance by cuts alone,” Zorn added.