Austintown reduces, reorganizes principal team

By Justin Wier

jwier@vindy.com

AUSTINTOWN

Austintown schools will reduce the number of principals in the district from 13 to 12.

Superintendent Vince Colaluca said the move is an attempt to reduce costs as the district expects 250 fewer students in the 2017-18 school year.

This year the district had three principals in the elementary school, intermediate school and middle school with four principals in the high school.

In the new arrangement, the elementary and intermediate schools will have only two principals. A new assistant principal of instruction and continuous improvement will serve both schools.

Colaluca said the administration took the opportunity after assistant high-school principal David Purins announced he was leaving the district.

“It’s a model we talked about years ago,” Colaluca said. “We could implement it now that we’re a little bit short with staff and students.”

The district expects 100 fewer residential students and 150 fewer open-enrollment students next year. Colaluca attributed the decline to “the small group of negative people” who have criticized the administration. He thinks those criticisms have led other parents both within and outside of the district to enroll their children elsewhere.

Colaluca said eliminating one principal from the elementary and intermediate schools would save about $100,000. Last year, principals in those schools received between $66,000 and $83,000.

The drop in enrollment could result in a revenue loss of about $1.2 million using this year’s formulas.

Demotion, No Demotion

On Tuesday, the school board approved an agreement between the district and former Austintown Intermediate School principal James Penk. Penk had been on administrative leave during an internal investigation into his conduct.

As part of the agreement, Penk was moved to the high school to serve as an assistant principal, which Colaluca said was a demotion.

Jeff Swavel, Austintown Intermediate School principal, will also be moving to the high school to serve as an assistant principal, but Colaluca said this is not a demotion and Swavel will receive the same pay.

“That was his decision,” Colaluca said. “He asked to expand his resume and his career.”

Swavel has aspirations to move to the central office, Colaluca said, and central-office workers often come from high schools.

The superintendent said the move was not related to a written reprimand Swavel received in May after a camera set up by cafeteria workers produced pictures of him taking food from the school cafeteria. He reportedly paid for the food later and told administrators it was an oversight.

OLD FACES IN NEW PLACES

Michael Sauner, Fitch assistant principal, will take Swavel’s role at AIS, and Ben Baldner, Fitch assistant principal, will take Penk’s role at AMS.

Robin Vickers, elementary school assistant principal, will take on the new assistant principal role for the elementary and intermediate school. Colaluca said her curriculum and special-education duties were performed by individual schools in the past.

Marc Pupino, AIS assistant principal, will also move to the high school as an assistant principal.