‘D’ day for school boards

Monday agendas include Bartlett, Cutler closings, Marietta and Belpre cuts

By Kate York, kyork@mariettatimes.com
Monday night will be a busy one for local boards of education, with votes on reducing staff, closing schools and cutting programs possible in three different districts.

Marietta City, Belpre City and Warren Local schools all have board meetings scheduled Monday, with board members expected to make some big decisions.

Warren

Warren Superintendent Tom Gibbs, directed by the board at its April meeting to explore major cost-cutting options, said this week he will be make the recommendation to close Bartlett and Cutler elementary schools Monday.

“It’s my intention at this point to make a recommendation to consider closing one or two district facilities,” Gibbs said. “I have no idea whether the board will vote that way but that will be my recommendation, along with reducing some other district-level supervisory costs.”

The combined savings would be around $600,000 per year, he said.

The district, facing a $5.2 million deficit in fiscal year 2012, is expected to save $404,880 a year if it closes Bartlett Elementary and $125,000 a year if it closes Cutler Elementary.

There will be a chance for public comment at Monday’s meeting, to be held at 6:30 p.m. in the Warren High School cafeteria. Gibbs said he will explain how the changes proposed would impact the school system.

“I have a rough draft plan and I can’t tell parents what bus their child will ride, but I can tell them what the longest route will be and how it compares and how the class size will be affected in each grade,” he said.



Marietta

The Marietta City school district also has a goal of saving about $600,000 per year, and board members will vote Monday on one part of the savings plan: a reduction in force of six employees.

“This would be four teaching positions, one administrative position (the dean of students at Marietta High School) and two OAPSE positions,” said Superintendent Doug Baker. “That will be on the docket Monday.”

Dean of students Brian Spicer also occupies one of the teaching positions.

All of the employees affected have been notified, Baker said, including those who may lose their jobs due to someone whose position has been cut having more seniority. The jobs of 14 people could be affected.

The district, facing declining enrollment and rising costs, is predicting a $1.18 million deficit in the next fiscal year, although carryover funds can cover some of that in the short term.

Monday’s meeting may also include some discussion of the sale of North Hills school, closed in 2002, and the district’s Central Receiving building, a small warehouse used primarily for storage.



Belpre

Having already approved major changes in the district in April that include closing Stone Elementary School, the Belpre board of education is expected to vote Monday on eliminating its marching band program and a music teacher’s position.

Superintendent Harry Fleming said enrollment is too low in the band to justify continuing the program. This year, there are only nine junior high and high school students participating.

Fleming said there was also little reaction to the news that the band might be on the chopping block.

“I got a call from one parent who told me they didn’t think we should get rid of the band,” he said. “There really just isn’t much involvement anymore.”

Band director Andrew Bennekamper is expected to lose his job with the district since he is the music teacher with the least seniority.

The instrumental music program will continue on in the district as a class, Fleming said.

In April, the Belpre board of education voted in favor of a reorganization plan that would close Stone Elementary, move kindergarten through sixth-grade students to Belpre Middle School and move the district’s seventh- through 12th-graders to the high school campus, using both Belpre Elementary and Belpre High School there.

With accompanying staff cuts, the plan is expected to save the school system more than $400,000 next year.