PERRYSBURG – What would Perrysburg Schools look like if a levy on the November ballot
fails?
Superintendent Tom Hosler painted a grim picture of that landscape for board members
at their work session meeting this morning.
"We have a significant hole to fill financially" in the event of a failure,
he said. "What are we prepared to do to fill the hole to move
forward?"
The new emergency replacement levy would replace a 9.95-mill levy passed in 2008 and
which ends in December. The new four-year levy would collect 13.15 mills, or $10
million, in its first year, and increase that amount incrementally through 2016,
in which it would collect 17 mills, or $12.9 million. The annual increase in the
levy is approximately $26 per month on a $200,000 home.
If the levy fails, the district would lose more than $7 million from its budget – 20
percent of its revenue – and face an immediate deficit of nearly $4 million for
the 2012-2013 fiscal year, reaching to $5.6 million by 2013-2014.
The constricted financial straits would force the cutting of more than 95 positions,
including 53 teachers and 37 support staff.
The administration has also begun to look at what could be cut in terms of course
offerings and services to balance the budget.
"We can begin to roll back the length of the school day," said Hosler, and
"as a result students at the secondary level will have less periods per
day, which requires less teachers to operate the schedule.
Among the potential cuts would be reductions in elementary music, physical education
and art classes to once per month; altered busing; the return to alternate-day
half-time kindergarten; reduced foreign language electives; the elimination of
all field trips; and the cutting of teacher technology, as well as custodial
staff. Such potential changes would only scratch the surface, however.
"We would stop funding all extracurricular activities," said Hosler. The
activities would still exist, but all students taking part in them would have to
pay for their participation in full. The cost would be calculated by adding up
the price to operate each activity, and dividing that result by the number of
participants.
"This isn’t a threat," said Hosler. "We have to do something, the
board will have to have an action plan in the event that the levy fails."
Board member Walter Edinger pointed out at the meeting that, even if another levy is
passed in the spring of 2013 should the November levy fail, things would not be
put right. The cuts would still have to go into effect because of the way the
tax monies are collected.
"It really is two years off," said Board President Barry Van Hoozen.
"And I don’t think that’s understood by most people, that this is a
two-year layoff, layoff from a tax standpoint."
Hosler pointed out that the possible cuts are not meant to be punitive. The
presentation was not a recommendation, he said.
"When the dust settles, if the levy were to fail, we will do the best job
possible for our students."
In other business, the board:
• Voted to accept a $6,000 donation from Ford Cauffiel for the Students for Other
Students peer tutoring program at the high school, and a matched $7,000 donation
from the Perrysburg Rotary Club for the Learning Day by Day reading tutoring
program.
• Went into executive session for the purpose of discussing staff negotiations.
