Tiffin City Schools officials are exploring ways to address a projected $2 million shortfall in the 2011-12 fiscal year.
The district's board of education passed a budget Tuesday afternoon that estimates expenditures at $23.4 million and revenue at $21.3 million. The budget projects the district would have $214,075 remaining in the general operating fund as of June 30, 2012, compared to $3.3 million in the fund June 30, 2010.
After the meeting, Superintendent Donald Coletta said the only two ways for school districts to deal with an issue such as a $2 million shortfall are to reduce expenditures or increase revenue. Officials are exploring all of their options and anticipate making an announcement at the regular January board meeting, he said.
Coletta said there will be opportunities for staff and public input throughout the process. It appears the district will need to ask for more money at some point this year, he said.
Coletta said officials have been working on reducing expenditures since the 2007-08 school year. They have reduced the equivalent of 13 full-time positions, including administrators, teachers and support staff, which has saved the district about $750,000.
"We have worked very hard to reduce expenditures in any way that we can to reduce our deficit," he said.
Fact Box
In other business, the board:
* Elected Chris Widman as the president and Kathy Venema as the vice president.
* Received committee assignments: Shirley Smith and Randy Schwartz, finance; Dawn Iannantuono and Smith, communications; Venema and Schwartz, program; Iannantuono and Widman, support services; Schwartz, legislative liaison; Widman and Venema, personnel; Widman and Venema, records; Widman, Vanguard-Sentinel Career and Technology Centers; and Schwartz and Widman, negotiations.
* Set the 2011 meetings for Jan. 25, Feb. 22, March 22, April 26, May 24, June 28, July 26, Aug. 23, Sept. 27, Oct. 25, Nov. 22 and Dec. 20. They are 7 p.m. in the Tiffin Middle School cafetorium.
* Appointed Iannantuono as the board delegate to the Ohio School Boards Association fall conference business meeting and Smith as the alternate.
* Appointed the superintendent as the equal opportunity compliance officer and the agent for federal, state and privately funded projects.
* Approved standing authorizations.
The next regular meeting is 7 p.m. Jan. 25 in the middle school cafetorium.
The district also awaits the state's new biennial budget.
"Every school's nervous about (the budget)," Treasurer Sharon Perry said after the meeting.
She said officials are expecting state budget cuts but don't know what they are yet. People have speculated the funding cuts for schools could be 5 percent to 20 percent. A 20-percent cut in state funding would represent a loss of $1.8 million for Tiffin City Schools.
"Nobody knows until it happens," Perry said about the percentage of a possible funding reduction.
The records committee met following the board of education meeting. The board of education reconvened for an executive session following the records committee meeting.
Perry said the board scheduled another meeting for 6:30 p.m. Jan. 19 at 166 Greenfield St. It is to be another executive session for the board to discuss the employment of staff members.
