Over the last five years the Lorain City School District has seen its enrollment drop 15 percent, its workforce of teachers reduced by 29 percent and administration costs cut 40 percent yet they face still a $12 million deficit.
To close that hole, notices were mailed out earlier this month to all district employees of potential layoffs. Thursday night, interim Superintendent Ed Branham unveiled to the board his plan to eliminate 182 positions.
The plan cuts 51 teachers in grades 1 through 12, 10.5 kindergarten teacher positions and because of cuts in grants an additional 21 non-classroom teachers will be eliminated.
The other positions will come from support staff and administrative positions.
“182 lives” as the way Branham presented it.
“The Lorain city school finances are a reflection of our community,” said Board Member Mitchell Fallis. Down economic times, a declining tax base and the lack of a new levy in 20 years make this latest round of cuts inevitable.
“This is months of buildup,” said board member Tony Dimacchia. “And the reality is the reality and people just have to understand that and until it gets better, until those things change we’re going to always be faced with this dilemma or eventually we’re not going to have a service to offer.”
Lorain will seek its first levy since 1992, but they still aren’t sure when, what kind or how much.
“It will be in either November or in August,” said Board President Timothy Williams. “We have not yet determined what type of levy it will be.”
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article courtesy of Newsnet5.com
