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2 Warren board members to leave
By Ed Runyan
WARREN
Ten days before the Nov. 8 election, much of the focus is on those people hoping to be elected to political office.
But also of interest for voters in the Warren City School district is that two of the three board members whose term expires this year — Kevin Stringer and Ed Bolino — decided not to seek re-election.
Both men, who were key players in hiring of the district’s new superintendent, say their personal finances are the biggest reason for stepping aside.
“In a lot of ways, it feels like I’m leaving the party just when it’s getting good,” said Stringer, completing his first four-year term on the board.
Stringer said his four years on the board were punctuated by controversy and big projects — such as the Ohio School Facilities Commission project that replaced all of the district’s five school buildings.
Now that the district has all of its new buildings open and its new superintendent is starting to move the district in a new direction, it seems like some of the hardest work is done.
Warren residents have voiced strong opinions about the former superintendent, Kathryn Hellweg, as well as the former football coach, D.J. Dota, Stringer said. That has been hard, because strong emotions have led to harsh words expressed in front of his family members, Stringer said.
But the bigger reason Stringer decided to leave the board is financial, he said.
He formerly worked at Delphi Packard Electric and now works part time as a caregiver for the Youngstown Developmental Center, which makes him an employee of the state of Ohio. His other part-time job is at Belmont Pines, a youth behavioral-health hospital in Liberty.
Stringer said he has concerns about what his pay and benefits will be after his current contract expires in February. Changes also have occurred in previous years, so he’s looking for ways to increase his income, Stringer said.
Being a Warren Board of Education member pays $69 per month, after taxes, he said.
Ed Bolino, who is completing his second four-year term on the board, says he’s grateful for getting to participate in the construction of the new buildings and fundraising for the district’s athletic facilities.
“I think it’s time for me. I have to concentrate on other things,” Bolino said. “I have three kids in college, and I need to make more money.”
Bolino is a counselor for Valley Counseling’s children’s office on Mahoning Avenue Northwest.
The community honored Bolino and others for providing counseling to help the community grieve for the six people, three of them students in the Warren city schools, who died in a house fire on Landsdowne Avenue on June 16.