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Lakota considers cutting 69 teachers

Plan to offset a projected $9M deficit for next school year

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By Denise Wilson, Staff Writer Updated 9:51 PM Monday, February 13, 2012

LIBERTY TWP. — Lakota Local School District administrators are proposing eliminating nearly 69 teaching positions for secondary grades in the latest round of budget cuts.

The cuts are being proposed to help offset a projected $9 million budget deficit for the 2012-13 academic year.

The plan would allow the district to cut the secondary payroll by about $4.3 million, according to district officials.

About 43 teaching positions — based on district seniority and certification — would be eliminated at the high schools with an anticipated savings of at least $2.7 million. About 26 positions would be cut at the junior high level for a savings of about $1.6 million.

Administrators discussed the proposed cuts Monday night at Lakota East High School before about 300 parents, teachers and district staff. The proposal addressed programs at Lakota’s eight secondary school buildings that serve grades seven through 12.

Superintendent Karen Mantia said the district’s goal is to do the right thing for its students and for its taxpayers.

“You might not agree with our proposals, but there’s no way that a community of nearly 100,000 would have 100 percent agreement on something as important as education,” she said.

“There’s simply no solutions to a complex budget challenge particularly in the era of the economy that we live in today,” Mantia said. “We face a difficult balancing act. A series of tough choices that face us, the administration, the staff, our community and ultimately the board of education. With three failed levies, we must adjust. There simply is no choice.”

Under the plan, class sizes would be maximized, courses would be consolidated, credits required for graduation would be trimmed from 21 to 20, and the school day would be shortened by 30 minutes.

The number of high school students registering for specific elective courses would determine whether those courses are taught, district officials said. Opportunities for high school credit would be increased at the junior high schools, according to the plan.

The proposal also calls for a new academic framework to be introduced this fall called STEAM, which stands for science, technology, engineering, applied arts, mathematics, and medical.

“The goal is to develop the creativity, design and innovation skills of students to better prepare them for the emerging workforce needs of the future,” according to district information.

The Steam framework, which would be taught in partnership with Butler Tech pending approval by its board, would be phased in over several years starting with a course this fall in seventh grade called design and modeling, which introduces engineering and design concepts.

The administration’s budget proposal focusing on kindergarten through sixth grade is scheduled to be presented at 7 p.m. Feb. 23, at Lakota East. The fourth proposal - focusing on administration, athletics and other operations - will be presented at 7 p.m. Feb. 27, also at Lakota East.

Contact this reporter at (513) 483-5219 or dewilson@coxohio.com.

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