As a result of the failure of the November 6 mill combined levy, the Aurora School Board announced cost-saving cuts and increases in fees. The meeting was attended by mostly teachers and administrative staff, maybe 10 parents were there. Some of these cuts have quantified cost savings associated with them, while other cuts and additional fees anticipate savings and the actual savings are not available
The board approved the adoption of “cluster” bus stops which will begin in January at the start of the second semester. Transportation administrators will look at the distribution of children in the district and change bus stops to more efficiently use vehicles. The result is– children will have to walk further to get their busses. These new stops will be ‘hand-picked’ to maximize savings. No children will have to cross major highways. Anticipated savings is 1 driver and one bus per school. The dollar savings is unknown at this time
The second cut is in the budget for purchase of textbooks and supplies. The budget has been reduced by $50,000. Superintendent Bennett said most text books are new this past year and no child will be without textbooks.
Probably the most significant cut to children and their parents is the suspension of supplemental contracts. This motion cuts most afterschool clubs at all schools. These would return after the voters approve a levy in March
At the High School these after-school clubs will no longer be offered– effective immediately: Chess, Environmental, French, Spanish, SADD, Men’s Chorus, Reading, Pep Band.
Key Club, Student Council, National Honor Society and Beta club are not cut.
At Harmon– 8th Grade Talent show, Chess, Environments, Art, Photo, Science, Recycling, Natural History, Math, Writer’s, Bike, Bones, Newspaper, Reading, Math, Writer’s. Student Council and Beta Club are not cut.
At Leighton: Art, Book, Jump Rope, Garden, Book, Bike clubs are cut, and Leighton Leaping Stars will be charged a fee to participate.
There was some discussion about keeping these clubs if they were underwritten by parents or organizations. the teacher’s union is involved with these cuts and the question was asked if teachers chose to volunteer, would these clubs continue. Mr. Bennett a former student, teacher and Principal at Harmon said he would look into the possibilities, but indicated that the clubs should be cut or underwritten as a group, not individually. Cost savings will be approximately $760 per club, this is the salary the teacher receives for supervision the club.
The next cut suspended all non-academic field trips unless supported by funds from another source such as One Fund or the Schools Foundation. These field trips will be paid for by increased fees, typically $3-$5 per pupil. 6th Grade camp will continue with costs absorbed by increased fees. Cost savings was not announced.
Increased student and adult fees were also announced. All students will now pay admission to CVC home sporting events and Aurora plays. Student advance sale tix booklets will be sold 10 for $20. Adult advanced sale tix will be $10 tix for $30. Tix will be $5 at the door. Anticipated increased revenue was not announced
The Professional Development Budget will be cut. This includes money for teacher workshops and seminars. The dollar amount was not announced.
AP/IB fees will probably increase. This was tabled after discussion regarding a family cap and financial aid. Currently parents pay 1/3 of the costs. Parents would pay 100% of costs if adopted. This would generate $24,000.
Summer School tuition will probably increase to $100 per student. This would be from K and up. There was discussion about financial aid or sliding scale and i can’t remember if it was officially tabled. The amount of income generated would vary and no definative number was announced.
Board President Gerald Kohanski said “this is a difficult time for all parents, teachers and students.” The entire board was visibly unhappy with what they were doing. If the levy fails in March there will be additional cuts, teachers and staff will be cut, class sizes will be larger, and pay to play will be adopted. “All facets of all programs will be affected” said Mr. Bennett. The sad faces at the meeting however did not match my children’s disappointed faces when they learned about these club cuts. I hope a way will be found to save the club cuts.
There was then a presentation and discussion about the IB program. “This is the crown jewel of the district,” said Mr Kohanski. Currently, the AP and the IB programs are similar and different. I’m slightly confused by it but if the programs was eliminated or temporarily cut, it would not be able to return. There wold be a two-year waiting and approval wait and other schools would probably offer the program. Fees and travel expenses for continuing education were discussed.
If any Olive readers have more information about any of these programs please let us know. Additional information or comments from the school administration would be appreciated.
My child is at Leighton and has 28 students in the class already. How much bigger can a class go? Are there state rules on how large a class can be? Just curious. The board says there will be larger classes. There are large classes currently. Does the board even know that? How can they increase the class size when it seems maxed out already?
The state has no law referring to maximum class size. The state’s average size class is 25. The Aurora City School District’s average elementary class size is 22-23 students. Some classes are smaller; others are larger, like the one your child is in.
The Board does know class sizes are climbing. This is why it agreed to put a levy on the ballot in November. This is why they are going back to the community in March for the same levy. They know the space is needed. The projected average class size for the district starts at 25 students per class next year and goes up from there.
Many parents agree that smaller class sizes facilitate better learning. The Board also believes this and wants to alleviate the problem, but needs the community to support it (the levy) in order to make the changes necessary.
I find the cuts very interesting. The IB program which Mr. Kohanski touts as our “crown jewel” should have been one of the first cuts. It is a school within the school – catering to a very small number of students. The program which was started in Europe is not used widely by colleges in the US. Even the Aurora High School principal mentioned at a recent PCF meeting that parents should encourage their children to participate in AP classes instead of IB. Teachers at the high school say the same. Students that I know that have done IB have wished they had not. They complained of being in the same classes all day with the same small number of students (one year – approximately 18 students were in the program. They have since gone to offering certificates in “areas” instead of doing the entire IB program in order to increase enrollment) and not getting the credit for the hard work they had done all year by the colleges they had applied to. The IB title may be a “crown jewel” to a few but is it worth all the money it costs? Shouldn’t money be allocated to serving the most students instead of a select few – especially when AP is available to them?
Another cut is for “non-academic field trips”. Why are students going on field trips if it isn’t for an academic reason?
I think there are easy areas for the district to cut. Why does the neighborhood adjacent to the high school and Harmon (The Woods of Aurora) have a bus at all? Kids can walk or ride their bike. Most districts bus students that live a mile or more away from the school.
I find it interesting as well that all of these cuts are needed. The district did a terrible job of educating the public on the need for the levy. The levy was touted for adding additional teaching staff and for building additions. If the district was suffering such hardships – why not advertise that? I know a lot of people are angry that they weren’t given this information.
I think the district has its work cut out to get the levy to pass in March. Who knows what the economic conditions will be like then. I think they are making a mistake by not separating out the two – a levy for current operational and another for building and operating that. We’ll see if the voters agree with me come March.
I knew it was coming…..No levy….No bus. That’s typical. BTW, how much are we saving by “clustering stops”? That’s left out of the “Dear Parents letter”. I would love to see how this is calculated in a real world scenerio.
I’ve read the proposed cuts and find it hard to believe that absolutly no sports have been cut. I’ts odd how the first thing a school that touts academic excellence cuts academic programs.
All the coaches for football, baseball and basketball must work for free along with the “athletic trainer”.
Having the kids pay to watch their schoolmates is an awsome idea. Why don’t we start charging them $2 to ride the bus like RTA.
I guess we know where the district’s priorities lay. Academic programs get the hit while athletics don’t. At last night’s meeting of the board, the board approved contracts for several assistant coaches before they discussed the cuts. We have money for them but not other items. Hmmmmmmmmm
Also, where I come from nepotism isn’t tolerated by its public officials. I’m curious if any Kohanskis will feel cuts – seeing how Mr. Kohanski is the President of the school board, Mrs. Kohanski (who I think is great) is the secretary for the superintendent, a daughter is an elementary teacher and a son was the grounds keeper. From a public perception – this looks bad.
Although this forum might be a good place to vent, it is also a good place to add positive comments and offer support and encouragement.
Mrs. Kohanski was an employee of the district before her husband ran for the board. Mr Kohanski had no prior knowledge of his daughter’s employment intentions before she was hired and abstained from the vote which hired her. I think they do a good job. And put in more time than their paychecks show.
These days the community really needs to unite, not bring up every petty bitch they have. We don’t run the schools, we only elect the board. Nobody has been interested in the schools enough to attend board meetings (including myself) we had become complacent.
We don’t get to pick and choose now that cut have been announced. These have been planned for months.
If everyone who voted for the levy would voluntarily pay the tax, i think it would offset the budget shortage.
The cuts approved Monday night don’t seem to add up to a whole lot of money. In fact, they were quite nominal – it appears the Board just approved them to get parents attention and ire up. It’s unfortunate that all the clubs were cut immediately (reminds you a little of Cedar Fair), nothing in the athletic budget was cut. Most of the clubs at least had some academic value. I agree with the above comments about the IB program – why have competing programs AP and IB? AP is much more valuable to our students. Don’t quite understand the concept of “cluster” busing – you’re still transporting the same number of students. I wish this Board was more proactive instead of reactive. I think what we are seeing now is the result of previous years lack of foresight. Aurora will continue to grow, we are nowhere near “build-out” (just look at the continued growth in Hudson, T-burgh, and Solon).
Dear Olive,
This is democracy in action. This is the way it was intended to function and if citizens want to offer positive comments and support, without prompting, they will. However, not all positive comments and support come wrapped up as Pollyannaish fawning – some come as constructive criticism that needs attention, and it appears this site has become the opportunity for citizens to do more than just spew forth “petty bitches;†this is an opportunity to air their concerns and complaints in an open forum that some believe does not exist in a school board meeting. All too frequently citizen comments have been squelched by the board in general, and the board president in particular who has used his bully pulpit to silence public dissent.
Yet we should rejoice – it seems that Olive has begun to have an effect as witnessed by the fact that the board is now publishing the agenda on the school Website. Previously, citizens wanting to review the agenda had to request a copy in person at the board office – let me restate that for emphasis, PREVIOUSLY, CITIZENS WANTING TO REVIEW THE AGENDA HAD TO REQUEST A COPY IN PERSON AT THE BOARD OFFICE. All too frequently those wanting agenda copies where questioned as to why they wanted a copy.
However, Olive does raise one issue – why don’t more citizens attend school board meetings. I’m certain we can find a number of reasons behind the question, not least of which is a lack of interest. But anyone willing to ask around will find a myriad of other reasons that exist as well. There have been too many reports from past attendees who have: 1) been asked why they are still attendance after the opening public comments (after all it is a public meeting); 2) public comments dismissed by board members using the old, “You don’t know the whole story line†(or similar like statements) or; 3) the lack of a publicly published agenda for citizens to scrutinize and see if they have a reason or a need to attend.
One problem has found a solution: the Web publishing of the board agenda. Another solution: videotaping and airing the meetings could increase interest in board proceedings.
But let’s move beyond the board, the agenda, and the proceedings and take a look at what is being said here: mainly that some citizens want a more transparent process and want to let their opinions be known in advance of the decisions. They are asking tough questions and those questions deserve answers. The decisions may have been made early on but they appear to be decisions made in a vacuum. A school district is responsible first and foremost to the education of the students. I believe it says a lot when the board is willing to hire on new assistant coaches, athletic trainers and so on while cutting into clubs and after-school activities that truly appear to have more academic value.
One parent, Concerned Dad, points out that the approved cuts were selected just to get the parents attention. This is a trick that has been utilized by many school districts – make the cuts where it hurts the students the most so parents will pass the next levy. Oddly enough this trick is more effective when athletic programs are cut, not academic. In truth it seems as if the approved cuts are more of a half-hearted attempt at looking like something is being done than a serious effort at separating the wheat from the chaff.
Finally, Olive, while it is true that we, the citizens, don’t directly run the school, we do indirectly through the process of representative democracy – we vote in the school board members and they are to represent our best interests, nay, the best interests of all the citizens in this community. It behooves the school board members to be more responsive to the citizens, and to find more ways to elicit citizen response, then they have in the past.
I think the school should consider consolidating 7th & 8th grade sports into “jr high” teams. Or look at eliminating 7th grade sports entirely and pushing the rec department to extend the ages for soccer/basketball etc to absorb the 7th graders (if they’re not already there).
My children are on the sports teams and I am not opposed to paying to play. I think it is sad to drop the ax on all the clubs and not give parents an opportunity to pay to participate.
Thank you Silence Dogood and Concerned Dad. I completely agree with your opinions. I wish you would write to the Advocate. Your views need to be shared more widely than this forum.
I can’t help but feel that the board is trying to manipulate us into voting for the levy. I felt more supportive before I saw the cuts letter. It seemed like they implemented a plan designed to anger our kids: scrap clubs, walk farther to bus stops, pay for games. These aren’t real cuts. However, they are the cuts that will cause kids to lobby for the March levy. It’s no wonder these board discussions were not public. The public would have little tolerance for such tactics.
Based on the cuts letter, the board has much more work to do to convince me that they will be good stewards over more revenue.
Olive pits back: If you have comment or question for the Board go to the meeting on Wednesday, they will explain and answer questions. The discussions were public, you just didn’t go to the meetings or get informed. They aren’t tactics, they are reality-based financial decisions. if you need to be convinced go to the meeting and stand up and voice your concerns.
Yellow journalists would have a field day,”School Board endorses drinking and driving”, “School Board says to heck with the Environment” in view of the recent elimination of the SADD and environmental clubs. So much for social conscience. Seriously, though, parents at Harmon and Leighton are unhappy that those students took the brunt of the initial cuts versus the high school. Especially in light of the fact that the 2007-8 year is already budgeted for and that athletics weren’t touched. This is the wrong way to go about trying to prove that you are financially responsible. The district better be careful because they are starting to alienate their biggest supporters…
Olive pits back: if you have questions about the reasons for the cuts call Russ Bennett he will take the time to talk with you, or come to the public meeting on Dec 1. The Board will be there to get your feedback and answer questions. I attend several of the cuts meetings and i think i would be forced to do the same cuts if I was in their shoes. There are good reasons for their actions.
In a Perfect World our school levy would pass with a thunderous majority vote and all would be right for our students. But in the real world, we are ALL dealing with higher gas and utility cost, unsure job security, and a slow housing market. Why are we penalizing the students with only offering an “all or nothing†proposal?
Why don’t we offer two options, #1 current operations and additional staff, repair of current structures, and trailers? #2 new additions on three schools and the operation of those additions. I know it’s not pretty, but I think the voters would pass #1 without hesitation. We understand there’s a real need, but this is not the economic time to fill a new construction wish list.
Was this “all or nothing†a case of planning too late or was it a part of the plan?
I feel the Board did not act in the best interest of the students to only offer the taxpayers an “all or nothing plan†at the last minute. The voters have already spoken once and there’s no guarantee the second time around with the exact same proposal that it will pass. Offer a Plan B and do not take the chance that this 6-mill levy may fail again.
As many others have discussed, we need clear information, which can be offered through televised school board meetings.
Olive pits back: I have edited this post in light of the announcement of a public meeting. If the writer has comments or questions for the board he/she should attend the public meeting on Dec 5 at 7 in the high school. Televised board meetings will be very boring, and after the board has taken action is no time to complain. Go to meetings if you want to be in the know.
Should we be looking at Olive for School Board information or the schools webpage?
olive pits back: You should always use the school webpage for your primary source of information. This site does not have any advance notice of any school announcements. This is a small town and news can travel fast. I think the school website is run quite differently than Olive. The school has procedures in place for administrators to post. Sometimes there are software problems sometimes staff are doing other things. it’s not like someone is sitting at the monitor all day long waiting to post or reply at either place. All Board Members are members of the community and have jobs often in other cities away from Aurora. I also have a job sometimes i can post sometimes my work comes first, this site does not make me any money. This is not an official posting site for public meetings nor any other legal notices. I will however be helpful in trying to inform people in Aurora. And Olive will always use journalistic standards and practices in place for reputable blogs.
In addition you can always call the board of education for information or to meet with someone in person. They will always make time to talk they are not hiding nor have they hidden from Olive. They have always responded either by phone or in person to me. They will do the same for you.
Is anyone mad that Farewell to Harmon has been cut?
How much money does that cost? Not much, a litle for the electric bill and what else?? This is a kids program that has been going on forever…………is there any parents out there that want to see it happen this one more year??
Parent volunteers, we could do it. My 8th grade son has been looking forward to playing with his band for 2 years now. So sad, really.
Olive notes: If you want the answers to your questions from the Board go to the meeting on Wednesday. I believe the budget was over $2,000 for the Farewell. Contact the board with your concerns they are willing to listen.
The Board and Superintendent Invite the Community to Public Hearing
The Aurora Board of Education and Superintendent invite the community to share its feedback and concerns regarding the levy failure, recent cuts, and the district’s plans to move forward. The Community Meeting will take place on Wednesday, December 5 at Aurora High School in the auditorium. The meeting will begin at 7 p.m.
The Board scheduled the meeting Saturday at its special Board Meeting. “There is a sense of urgency to have this meeting as soon as possible to hear the voice of the community. The Board does not have much time to consider feedback on this issue as the Ohio Department of Education requires us to decide on the particulars of filing to go on the ballot by December 15,†said Board President Jerry Kohanski. The meeting date was also chosen to be December 5, because all other days early this month had holiday concerts or other school events scheduled.
The Superintendent, Russ Bennett, and Board Members will also make themselves available following holiday concerts this month in room 100 at the high school.
Hey Olive, what happened? You posted my comment (it was the 9th comment on this subject) and now it’s gone. What’s up?
Olive pits: i don’t know, i have been having server “issues” and have instated a new comment policy. It may have been deleted on purpose or lost accidentally.
Why does the school continue to buy $2,000 SmartBoards for classrooms at the same time cuts are targeting our students? Is there data to support the idea that SmartBoard-equipped classrooms result in a better education for my child? I’ve also heard that we offer Computer Aided Drafting (CAD) classes to our students at a cost of $3,000 per CAD-equipped computer. Does CAD enhance my child’s education enough to justify that cost? All of us parents seemed to survive without SmartBoards and CAD in school.
Technology is great. However, in my house we spend our money on nice-to-have technology when we can afford it. Not when things are tight. I’ve mentioned two examples of questionable priorities that have recently come to my attention. I’m concerned there are many more.
Olive: I really appreciate this site and read it often. Thank you for your hard work. Some of your “Olive Pits” comments may mistakingly give the impression that you are editing posts because the ideas expressed are inconsistent with your own. While that is your prerogative, please consider the value of an open exchange of ideas. Strong ideas stand up fine against opposition. Thanks!
Interesting results published in the Plain Dealer this morning!!
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The smart boards were purchased through PTO by funds that were raised through fund raisers such as Market Day and Spiritwear. PTO members get a say in how money is spent if they come to meetings and voice their opinions. This is not taxpayer money that paid for this equipment. That is the reason PTO has fundraisers, to be able to provide “nice to have technology” that the school may not be able to afford. In today’s economy it is to our detriment if we do not equip our students with skills that include technology which would explain the CAD investment. With all due respect the world is a different place from when we parents were in school. We may have survived without CAD, but computers were just on the horizon. We live in a computer world and our kids will be ill-prepared compared to graduating seniors in other districts if we do not keep up with the times. I am tired of people using a few thousant dollar expenditures as reasons for not passing the levy, when we are talking about the need for 800,000 dollars plus being cut from the budget. Don’t you value your children and grandchildren enough to make an investment in their future.? What the board is asking for is not out of line.
To Taxpayer:
Very interesting results indeed. One of the things I have wondered about as I have read this blog since the levy’s defeat is, when measuring the success of the children in the school district (whether we measure by blue ribbons, gold medals, SAT / ACT, AP, IB, and other standardized measures) is how much of it has to do with the effectiveness of the schools, and how much of it comes down to pure demographics (household income, education levels of the parents, single parent vs. 2 parent households, etc). To use an extreme case, if we were to transplant this administration and the teachers to a less successful district, what would the results be?
Observer brings up a very interesting observation – demographics plays a huge role in the success of our district. Look at the number of parents that are actively volunteering in the schools and supporting the various booster and PTO organizations. There are outstanding teaches and administrators in our district but their jobs are much easier than those faced by their peers in the Cleveland Public School District. Money helps make their jobs easier as does the support students receive from their families.
And in response to llgem’s comments that the levy went down because of the expenditures on things like smart boards – I beg to disagree. The levy went down because of the economic conditions that are plaguing this area. Northeastern Ohio is suffering and I fear it isn’t going to get better for quite some time. The levy went down big in the Geauga Lake area where i”m sure the increase in taxes would create hardship for many. There were also many seniors on a fixed income that voted against the levy as well. The nightly news brings about talk of recession. People have only so much money available to them. Health care costs are escalating, as are utilities, gas and food. I think most voters in this district would support the operating levy but the board insisted that they tie the building in, too. I heard the board was concerned that the voters would vote for the building but not the operating if they put two levies on the ballot. I think they have not given the voters the credit they should have. Voters would have supported in the very least the operating levy but they aren’t going to get that chance. I fear it was a huge mistake on their part.
For the record I did not say the levy was defeated because of the smartboards. I was responding to realist’s comments that he did not feel this was a necessary expenditure and I wanted to make clear that the school district did not pay for these boards. Only the people who voted no on the levy can say why they voted no. Any other opinions are just speculation. When voters go into the polling place only they know how they vote and why and that is what makes this country great. My personal opinion is that this school board has been very fiscally responisble with our tax dollars, the money and the space is needed, and our children deserve the best chance we can give them. The increased tax dollars will require a sacrifice for me as well. Senior citizens are not the only ones on fixed incomes. Some people with families work at jobs in which they haven’t gotten a raise in several years. I just happen to believe that the children of this community are worth some sacrifices I will personally have to make.