Euclid - The Euclid City Schools Board of Education approved additional cuts to staff, program and expenditure to meet budgetary constraints at its Wednesday meeting.
The cuts come after the defeat of a renewal levy in 2018 and an emergency levy in 2019. If passed, the levies would have funded $5.6 million of the district’s operating budget yearly. The additional 17 reductions follow 23 staff cuts made at the start of the 2019-2020 school year.
“Identifying the new cuts that will occur for the 2020-2021 school year has been, once again, a grueling process for the board, our leadership team, and our employees,” Board President Donna Sudar said. “All of our staff and the programs they support are part of student success. We certainly value all of our caring and professional staff. This is one of the most challenging duties we have as board members.”
Cuts approved at Wednesday’s meeting include:
●Reduction of eight elementary school teaching positions and 14 elementary school tutor positions
●Reduction of five Central Middle School teaching positions
●Reduction of four Euclid High School teaching positions
●Reduction of an elementary Dean of Student position
●Reduction of 2.5 high school career tech education programs will be replaced with new career tech programs
Within a month, the board will consider other administrative changes including restructuring due to financial conditions that impact the district.
In an effort to improve the district’s financial situation, the board shall offer a one-time retirement incentive contingent upon ten full-time equivalent teacher retirements.If the retirement incentive is realized, it would result in approximately $300,000 savings to the district’s general fund for each of the next five years, thus demonstrating the Board’s continued focus on fiscal responsibility.
These cuts will go into effect for the 2020-2021 school year.
The Board had made the previous cuts at the start of the school year:
●Reduced supplementals throughout the district by roughly a quarter-million dollars
●Decreased transportation services to the state minimum levels
●Reduced 10 teaching positions, 5 administrative positions, and 8 classified positions
●All employees agreed to a wage freeze
●Other programs were cut including music in the elementary, art in the middle schools, and some district-wide athletic programs
The board placed Issue 27 on the March 17th primary ballot and is asking voters, if they have not yet voted, to exercise their right to vote by mail through April 28th.
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