$2 mil

By Erin Remai
Herald Staff Writer

With a $2 million budget deficit looming and the possibility of staff cutbacks, Reynolds Area School District taxpayers and employees packed Wednesday's school board meeting in search of answers.

The board discovered the deficit May 1 during the first run-through of the preliminary budget and is investigating, said Superintendent Dr. Anthony Trosan, who plans to issue a news release next week detailing the shortfall.

"Somebody should be held accountable," said Gino Tofani, art teacher, parent and taxpayer. "I can't believe it took until May 1 for someone to find this out. That is unacceptable."

"This is the time of year budgets are developed," Trosan said after the meeting. "It's not unusual for a board to discover at a relatively late date there's going to be a concern with the budget."

He said several things have contributed to the deficit, including a decrease in state funding and a declining student enrollment over four years.

"We're trying to compose an audit trail," Trosan said. "It's a big task to go back and look at where there were discrepancies."

The board Wednesday also accepted the resignation of Business Manager John W. Simon, effective July 14. Trosan would not say if Simon's resignation is related to the deficit.

Director Maddox Stokes, during his report as board finance committee chairman, said the committee is not ready to produce a preliminary budget. He said the committee will meet on Monday and will present a proposed budget at 7:30 p.m. May 22.

As for the deficit, Stokes said, "When you balance the budget with extra money from the fund balance, it eventually adds up."

Stokes, former superintendent at Reynolds, said the board will face many decisions soon, including a combination of staff cuts and not replacing retiring staff members. He also said there will be a "significant (tax) millage increase."

Last year, county commissioners changed the property tax assessment ratio from 33.3 percent of a property's 1970 market value to 100 percent, decreasing all millage to a third of its former level but keeping the dollar amounts intact. State law limits school boards to a 10 percent tax hike in the year following an assessment change.

This year's $13.8 million budget is supported by 129 mills. School directors raised property taxes 3 mills last year. Under the new ratio, the total translates to about 43 mills.

"It's not going to be easy ... it's going to be very difficult," Stokes said of the budget. "A budget is not a magical thing. It's input and output."

Leesa Caputo, president of the Reynolds Education Association, said she felt that explanation was too simple.

"If this were so simple, we wouldn't be in the position we are in now," she said. "We are going to deal with the fact that people are going to lose their jobs. Students are going to suffer. I believe the truth needs to be told ... it's important that people do not have to suffer and students do not have to suffer because mistakes have been made."

The prospect of eliminating staff brought up the issue of maintaining small class sizes, which Trosan said are at a "very good level." Trosan said the board will need to examine that when talking about possible staff cuts.

One sentiment echoed by many residents was for the board to consider the children first before making cuts.

"We're all here for the kids. Whatever least affects the children is where the cuts need to come," said Chris Osbourne of Delaware Township, who is a teacher in Sharon and a business owner.

Osbourne said he didn't come to point fingers.

"There's been a lot of rumors and a lot of stuff floating around the last few weeks ... we've got a shortfall of $2 million," he said. "That's a substantial amount of money. How we got there is water under the bridge. How we get out of it concerns us now."

He and several residents offered suggestions for cutting back expenses.

"If it does come down to cuts, as a business owner, you've got to trim your fat first," he said.

Trosan said he and the board are open to a list of money-saving suggestions from residents and have already made some cuts in supplies. He said the board will look at every possible way to cut costs.

"There's not a person on this board who's not extremely disturbed about the possible cutting of teachers. We don't want to do that. We're looking at every way possible," Trosan said.

The district includes Delaware, Pymatuning and West Salem townships and Fredonia.