Massillon schools seek ways to cut debt

Closed-door discussions about city school district finances soon will become conversations with community members.

As Massillon City School District administrators continue to search for ways to cut millions of dollars in annual operational costs, they are leaving all their options open. They also are hoping to be transparent about what they feel the best options are.

?The sooner people know where we?re headed,? Superintendent Rik Goodright said, ?the better off we will be in the long run.?

The truth, Goodright said, is that there are no easy solutions to the financial concerns that plague the district.

?Initially,? Goodright said, ?it looked like we would have a $1.5 million deficit in (fiscal year 2013), but it looks like it will be more like $2 million.?

Balancing a budget with that kind of a compounding deficit is a lofty task.

?Two million is a lot,? Goodright said. ?When you deal with a budget around $40 million, $2 million is a lot.?

It also means the board has and will continue to look at every aspect of district operations as it looks to cut costs. Nothing is off limits.

?Everything that we do in the district is on the table,? Goodright said.

CUTTING STAFF

According to Goodright, addressing the immediate deficit concerns likely will involve reductions in force, though it?s unclear which positions or how many jobs would need to be cut.

During a January board of education meeting, Goodright expects to see the board pass a resolution that will allow the district to cut positions. It?s likely that announcements regarding specific personnel cuts will come in the spring, and those decisions will be carefully made.

?We have already talked with our four association leaders and informed them about the potential cut backs,? Goodright said. ?We won?t do 15 percent reductions across the board. We will look carefully and see which positions and things we could cut without impacting the education of kids.?

Goodright also noted that the number and types of positions cut will depend on the retirements the district sees this school year.

?In a perfect world, the plan would be to cut through attrition,? Goodright said. ?So far, (the district) has done a wonderful job not replacing as people retire. ? It?s ideal because nobody loses work.?

CLOSING BUILDINGS

Massillon community members are familiar with discussions about potentially closing buildings. Under the leadership of Superintendent Lisa Carmichael, the board examined the possibility of closing Emerson Elementary, and the district central office building which includes the district pool and houses Adult Basic and Literacy Education.

Similar discussions have continued behind closed doors though no specific buildings have been targeted for closure. To have a better understanding of which steps to take when it comes to facilities, Goodright said the community has to help shape a vision for the district.

?Facilities cost money,? Goodright said. ?The community will have to let us know if a high school, a middle school and six elementary schools are the way they want to go. We will have conversations with the community and see what they recommend back to us. ? It will be a community-and-board decision.?

Conversations involving the community will likely also include the possibility of building new schools or seeking additional operating revenue.

?The Massillon community has been very giving,? Goodright said. ?They have given money for a new high school, which was good. They passed a series of emergency levies and always came through when we needed to renew those levies to keep the district running.

?But we also know is that since 1999 our district has not received any new dollars. ? As prices go up and the cost of operation goes up it?s hard to keep up and continue with the same money.?

CREATIVE SAVING

Saving the bottom line and balancing the district budget likely will include cuts both big and small. Goodright acknowledged that Massillon City is looking for ways to cut costs simply and efficiently without impacting the quality of education or the district?s staff.

?We can do simple things,? Goodright said. ?We can turn off the lights and shut the doors and we have done those types of things.?

Goodright said the district also has looked at trimming facility operational costs by moving to four-day work weeks during the summer months.

The district also has looked at changing bus routes and building start times in an effort to cut thousands more dollars from annual operational costs.

?If we create a time schedule with earlier start times for the elementary and later start times for the high school,? Goodright said, ?we may be able to reduce the transportation budget by $15,000 or $20,000, so those things can really add up.?

Source: http://www.cantonrep.com/news/x1980200787/Massillon-schools-seek-ways-to-cut-debt

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