Tiffin City Board of Education voted to cut nearly 40 employees during a meeting Tuesday evening and expects to rehire nine next month because of one-time federal funding.
During the three-hour meeting, the board voted to cut 17 teachers, but nine are to be reinstated with Education Jobs Fund money. Before the meeting, Superintendent Donald Coletta said President Barack Obama set aside funding to bring back teachers who had lost their jobs. Tiffin City Schools received slightly more than $500,000 and is to use it to rehire nine teachers in April.
Coletta said the board of education can guarantee them employment for one year.
Article Photos
PHOTO BY PAT GAIETTO
Board member Shirley Smith looks over the list of proposed cuts during Tuesday evening’s meeting.
"It's federal money. It's not local money, and we have a window of opportunity to utilize that," he said.
The board voted to cut 22 support staff employees, including 10 night sweepers, nine educational aides, two secretaries and one custodian.
Tiffin City Schools is facing a projected $3.3 million deficit as of June 30, 2013.
Fact Box
Teaching staff cuts, years of service to TCS
Mark Long, middle school industrial technology, 13
Linda Seyler, high school French, 5
Chris Rothhaar, high school industrial technology, 4
James Mason, middle school science, 3
Meghan Michaels, part-time high school health, 2
Brittany Cowgill, high school English, 1
Elaine DiCesare, elementary, 1
Elizabeth Tracy, Calvert music, 1
Education Jobs Fund, to be rehired
Ann Reddy Damon, high school library media, 8
Elizabeth Humphrey, high school visual art, 6
Stacey Grant, high school business, 2
Sarah Arnold, elementary, 1
Rebecca Bozo, elementary, 1
Loren Burkes, elementary, 1
Catherine Harlamert, elementary, 1
Laurie Morter, elementary intervention, 1
James Smalley, elementary, 1
Support staff cuts, years of service to TCS
Night sweepers - Suk-hui McDole and Shirley Koehl, 10; Dale Bentz and Howard Koehl, 8; Christopher Elchert and Richard McDole, 6; Regina Hall, 4; Urban Elchert and Kenneth Huffman, 3; and Daniel Burns, 2.
Educational aides - Susan Gibson and Patricia Walter, 19; Joy Rose, 18; Debra Moon, 17; Heidi Stephey, 15; Christine Schank, 14; Theresa Stover, 13; Pamela Horvath, 7; and Jacqueline Saum, 5.
Secretaries - Jane Hoschar and Nicole Monaco, 1.
Custodian - Rickie Shellhammer, 18.
Coletta said the permanent personnel reductions were not based on performance.
Tiffin City Schools is saving more than $370,000 through not replacing employees who are leaving the district. The district is not replacing five teachers, a night sweeper and an account clerk, Coletta said. Also, it is to save $8,300 through changes to bus routes and $25,565 from not replacing the equivalent of a half-time gifted education teacher.
Deb Baker, an English teacher at Columbian High School, questioned the board about how athletics had been considered when determining how to reduce the deficit.
Coletta said there are no cuts or pay-to-play recommendations in athletics, extracurricular activities and music for the upcoming school year because they already have had cuts.
Last month, board members decided to reconfigure grade levels in a configuration to be determined and close two elementary school buildings effective with the 2012-13 school year.
The board still is considering configurations, and officials outlined information about the buildings and advantages and disadvantages to various scenarios.
Board members also decided to continue to receive no compensation for their service, froze administrators' and supervisors' salaries and honored the request of Dara Dixon, Educational Management Information System coordinator, to have her work hours reduced by two each day with a reduction in her salary.
In other business, the board:
Observed a moment of silence for three teenagers killed in an accident Monday.
Heard about Washington Elementary School's garden project.
Recognized Sharon George, director of Seneca County Family & Children First Council; and winter athletes and coaches.
Heard about parent-student handbooks.
Heard the district is to not have primary summer school this year.
Heard first reading of the school emergency procedures ready reference manual.
Accepted the retirements of Mary Rider and David Hershey.
Approved personnel action and a stipend.
Approved a new policy about head lice, new regulations and revised policies and regulations.
Approved administrator and supervisor contracts: Stephen Anway, high school principal, $92,274; Pamela Bibler, school psychologist,$75,222; Derek Lewis, athletic director, $63,421; Michael Newlove, half-time elementary principal, $34,847; Rebecca Osborne, elementary principal, $76,766; Michael Steyer, elementary principal, $78,607; and Julie Wiggins, school psychologist, $73,342.
Approved non-renewal of the contract of Hope Boes, a federally funded Title teacher, due to the discontinuance of federal funding for her position.
Approved two contracts for Japanese translation services.
Approved writing of the comprehensive continuous improvement plan consolidated and competitive applications.
Accepted the amounts and rates as determined by the budget commission, authorized the necessary tax levies and certified them to the county auditor.
Executed a memorandum of agreement for deposit of public funds with PNC Bank, National Association.
Approved an AT&T DS1 service agreement.
Approved an ED/SBH program contract.
The next meeting is 7 p.m. April 26 in Tiffin Middle School's cafetorium.
