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Dozens attend South Range Board meeting to discuss levy
By ROBERT CONNELLY
NORTH LIMA
A full house of South Range parents and teachers spoke passionately about the school district and the levy vote two weeks away.
Sam Landry, treasurer of the South Range Education Association, the teachers’ union, addressed the crowd of dozens at Monday’s South Range Board of Education meeting.
“South Range has been an effective or excellent district for a long time. South Range will be unable to continue to provide the excellent public education without the support of the taxpayers,” Landry said. “We love this district, and it pains us greatly to be in the dire straits in which we find ourselves.”
He and other residents commented about the May 5 levy facing South Range residents in Beaver and Green townships. It is a three-year, 4.9-mill operating levy that would generate $931,838 annually and cost the owner of a $100,000 home $171.50 a year. It is to address a projected deficit beginning in the 2016-17 school year.
Residents for the levy and others who question policies and procedures of the school board and administration spoke during the meeting. At times, there was back-and-forth dialogue among them.
The over-arching theme was wanting the community to come together for the students of South Range schools.
Superintendent Dennis Dunham told Monday’s crowd, “We have to come together. We have to figure out how do we get what we want together and move the district forward. It’s critical,” he said.
The ACT Now for South Range Schools organization had been pursuing the school district to join the Online Checkbook program.
ACT Now stands for Accountability, Clarity and Transparency for the district. Specifically, ACT is seeking a performance audit of the schools by the state, a comprehensive and detailed review of a five-year plan for the district.
South Range district Treasurer Jim Phillips said that administrators received a letter last week from the office of Ohio Treasurer Josh Mandel about joining the Online Checkbook program. Mahoning County joined the program last week.
The board approved Phillips to join the program.
Backing ACT’s effort is a national conservative advocacy and anti-tax group funded by billionaires Charles and David Koch called Americans for Prosperity.
In other business, the board unanimously approved naming Amy White to the school board. An oath will be given to White at a special meeting 7 a.m. Friday.
Board President Ralph Wince again admitted the board did not follow its own policy in the initial appointment process.
There were six applicants this time for the vacancy created by Bruce Zinz’ resignation, which was accepted at the Feb. 16 board meeting. White was appointed in March, but The Vindicator’s attorney, David Marburger, argued that the appointment process violated the state’s open meeting law.
Resident Richard Ferenchak and his attorney, former Youngstown Law Director Anthony Farris, recently filed an injunction against the South Range school board over the first White appointment, stating that by not rescinding that original action, the board is compounding the violation.