$400 Pay-to-Play Eyed as School Board Tries to Balance Budget

School officials are still looking for ways to reduce the budget by as much as $8.5 million next school year, and busing, the gifted and talented program and middle school sports are all on the chopping block.

Assistant Superintendent John Krupinski laid out a revised plan April 7 for $7.4 million in budget cuts, all of which -- and more -- will be needed if the on the May ballot does not pass sometime this year.

"We have to be proactive and have reductions ready to go," Superintendent Jeff Lampert said.

The first $4 million -- needed whether or not the levy passes -- is relatively painless for the public. 

More than half of the $4 million budget reduction -- about $2.6 million -- will come from concessions from teachers in their  and early retirements. Officials said 38 teachers have taken advantage of an early retirement incentive offered by the district this year.

After that, the district won't replace six of the retiring high school teachers (saving $390,300); will reduce all building and department budgets ($220,000), close Center Middle School enrollment ($131,000), move teacher salaries to the Title I federal grant ($280,000) and reorganize, reduce and reassign staff (up to $650,000).

It's the next $3 or $4 million that hits at the heart of what School Board President Jennifer Sinisgalli calls "cherished programs."

On the list: eliminate the entire gifted and talented program; reduce busing the the state minimum 2-mile level; eliminate 12 clerk positions; cut three industrial technology positions; eliminate all middle school sports programs; cut three guidance counselors, cut all or part of the middle school foreign language program; reduce the grounds crew staff; reduce media specialists to two; cut one consumer science teacher, cut a custodian assigned to athletics; cut one assistant head custodian at the high school; eliminate all supplemental contracts in elementary schools, including for student council; eliminate middle and high school team and department chair supplementals; eliminate the Mandarin Chinese program; and cut middle school supplemental contracts.

That would save a total of $7,431,400, Krupinski said.

To generate new revenue, the district could charge $400 per sport for high school student and $300 per sport for middle schoolers. Currently, students pay $100 per sport, with a $300 family cap.

With all that, "we would be able to get very close to that $8.5 million figure," Krupinski said.

Lampert said state funding is the "wild card" in budget planning because districts are not sure yet how much more they will lose in aid from Ohio.

The 9.9-mill levy would generate $14.283 million a year and stave off a projected deficit of about $8.5 million by mid-2012, which is the end of the district's next fiscal year.

It would cost homeowners $303 per year -- about $25 a month -- for every $100,000 in property valuation.

The last levy approved by Strongsville voters was a 6.5-mill issue in November 2007.

School board members said they would each rank the potential cuts in order and call a special meeting this week to make a firm decision.

Tracy Linscott, president of the Strongsville Education Association, urged the board to make a decision quickly so affected employees can start looking for new jobs.