Allow me to start out by saying I've felt lucky to have my four children attend Tallmadge City Schools the past several years. Having said that, I could not be more disappointed with the School Board's performance through the budget process that I believe has led us to some rather extreme budget woes.
Many Ohio businesses have had to enact virtual pay freezes on their employees and cut back on fringe benefit plans to balance their budgets. But not Tallmadge schools; arguably in fact, the opposite has occurred. From fiscal year 2006 to fiscal year 2007, the district's salary and fringe payments to employees increased by $1.3 million. Not only that, another contractual pay increase was approved in November of fiscal year 2007, again increasing salary alone by an estimated $570,000 in fiscal year 2008.
Conceptually, I don't have a problem with teachers and school employees getting pay raises and strong fringe packages at all. What I do have a problem with is approving substantial pay and fringe benefits increases when the school budget cannot support such payments without cutting other programs/areas.
Recommendations? Prudence would have dictated one of two options: Holding a pay raise in abeyance of levy passage or postponing union negotiations until the same. However, to my knowledge, the School Board considered neither of these options. Instead, the Board has sought to make up the losses in other areas that have been well publicized.
So, what's the only sensible course of action for Tallmadge residents? Unfortunately, the School Board's decisions have coerced citizens into an unattractive position. Therefore, so not to sacrifice the quality of our kids' education, school services and put at-risk our property values, I will be voting for the next levy. The reality is, if we as taxpayers don't step up, no one will.
Haydn A. Thomas
Tallmadge