Austintown schools see benefit of energy saving program

March 13, 2015 at 12:00a.m.

By ROBERT CONNELLY

AUSTINTOWN

Austintown schools are saving money through saving energy.

Superintendent Vincent Colaluca said the Austintown Board of Education during its meeting Wednesday received a presentation from Rebecca Shrake and Cenergistics representatives.

“The program is working the way that we thought it would, so we’re saving energy,” he said.

Austintown signed a four-year deal with Cenergistics, a company specializing in saving money in energy costs, in January 2013 for $90,000 per year for the company to perform energy audits. The company was projecting saving Austintown schools $2.2 million over a 10-year period.

The board also approved four retirements: Sue Hunsinger, secretary, after 25 years; Donna Baldi, custodian at Austintown Elementary, after 24 years; Craig Carson, Fitch vocal- music director, after 27 years; and Mary Ann Reel, elementary teacher. All those retirements are effective June 30 except Baldi’s, which is effective March 31.

Colaluca said Austintown schools will begin next school year Aug. 24. Though other school districts are starting to change their schedules, Colaluca said Austintown got away from the “traditional Mahoning County” calendar years ago.

“We actually had conversations with the teachers on going with the week before” but not at this time, he said. “As this testing rolls out, we’re going to have to look at it. ... This is coming from the teachers” needing more curriculum time, he explained.

Colaluca did not know how moving the calendar up another week would affect fall sports and practice schedules, but said some schools are starting as early as Aug. 10.