Cuts becoming a reality for Youngstown schools

Cuts becoming a reality for Youngstown schools

Youngstown

The city school district will employ 75 fewer people next year as part of its plan to contend with declining revenue, reduced enrollment and higher costs.

Budget reductions total about $4.1 million and include 60 teachers, three administrators and 12 classified positions. The school board on Tuesday approved reductions in force for 24 of those teachers. Other positions have been eliminated at previous meetings and many of the job cuts will occur through retirements.

At the same meeting Tuesday, board members rejected for a second time a proposal by Superintendent Connie Hathorn to allow Community Busing of Warren to handle management of student transportation at a savings of $100,000 per year.

“We’re reducing the number of teachers,” Hathorn said. “We’ve been losing student every year. We’re right-sizing the district.”

The cost-saving plan also means higher student-to-teacher ratio.

Read more in Wednesday’s Vindicator and Vindy.com