Austintown furloughs phys ed teacher

AUSTINTOWN

A union president questioned the process as Austintown Board of Education members laid off a full-time teacher this afternoon.

Barb Tomic, president of the Austintown Education Association union, questioned board officials during the board’s meeting at Fitch High School’s auditorium. She wanted to know why a less-tenured teacher wasn’t selected or a teacher on a different type of contract, such as non-renewal. “AEA does not want to lose our quality teachers,” she told the board.

The teacher, Jason Baker, is a physical education teacher at both Austintown elementary and Austintown intermediate schools. The board voted 4-1 in favor of the the furlough, with Harold Porter voting against it.

Superintendent Vincent Colaluca explained that the district thought two teachers were going to retire at the end of the year. When they didn’t retire, the board had to do something else “due to financial difficulties,” board President Kathy Mock said.