Performance audit says Walnut schools can save money

MILLERSPORT – Walnut Township schools have already implemented a number of the recommendations put forward by the Ohio Auditor’s office in a performance audit released Thursday.

“The audit was called for by the Ohio Department of Education when went into fiscal caution,” said Walnut Schools superintendent Randy Cotner. “We’ve been working with and implementing many of the recommendations as the audit was going on.”

Some of the recommendations included eliminating nine full time teaching and educational service employees.

“We eliminated eight positions going into next year,” Cotner said.

Another recommendation by state auditors included freezing certificated salary schedules.

“We froze all salaries and wages for everyone during the last round of cuts,” Cotner said.

The auditors also recommended the district work on reducing employee medical insurance premiums, increasing employee contributions for dental and vision plans and renegotiating severance provisions.

“Next year, contract negotiations begin with the teachers and employees and we are going to address these issues,” Cotner said.

He said the district during the last year had also switched insurance plans, going with a regional insurance consortium that has reduced some costs for the district.

Three of the recommendations by state auditors dealt with custodial services. They recommended eliminating one custodian position and for the district to look at outsourcing custodial services.

“We actually eliminated two custodian positions, going down from six to four positions,” Cotner said. “We are open to outsourcing, but at this time we aren’t planning on doing it. We think we can handle it with four people. It’s going to be difficult, but doable.”

For the coming school year, the district has approved more than $824,000 in cuts in the district of approximately 580 students.

Some of the teaching positions eliminated for next year include family and consumer sciences, junior high language arts, high school social studies, elementary technology, foreign language, high school media specialist, and junior high math. Administrators are also taking a five-day pay reduction. The district has a single bus route and there is no high school busing.

In May 2014, voters shot down a 6.9 mill emergency property tax. Residents then voted down an 8.8 mill levy in November, 2014. The district was placed in fiscal caution by the Ohio Department of Education on Dec. 28, 2014.

The district’s latest levy failure was two months ago in May, when 55 percent of voters rejected a 7-mill emergency property tax levy. An identical issue is on the Aug. 4 ballot.

State auditors said if all of their recommendations were followed they felt the district could save just over $1 million annually, with the district being in the black through 2018-19 school year.

However, the state auditors recognized that implementation of all recommendations may not be possible until the next fiscal year, “as some recommendations require contract negotiations and others simply would not be possible at the start of a new fiscal year,” said the report of the audit.

On the positive side, state legislators recently approved a two-year budget, signed by Gov. John Kasich, which includes a $264,674 increase in funding for the district during the two years. It will go from $1,337,855 this year to $1,602,529 in fiscal year 2017.

“We were on pins and needles watching this process,” Cotner said. “Obviously, this is going to help, but this still isn’t something we are going to be able to cut our way out of.”

Cotner said he hopes the voters will support the school district in August.

cburnett@lancastereagelgazette.com

740-681-4346

Twitter: @CarlBurnettJr