Neoga School Board Okays Almost $1 Million in Cuts

(SOME OF THOSE GATHERED AT NEOGA HIGH SCHOOL LIBRARY FOR THE DECISIONS MADE BY THE SCHOOL BOARD WEDNESDAY NIGHT)

The Neoga Board of Education Wednesday approved just shy of $1 million in cuts for next school year.

Interim Superintendent Beth Pressler said her recommendations were due to three factors: uncertainty as to enrollment and revenues, a need to curtail spending, and a goal of having a balanced budget.

The cuts approved will reduce expenditures by $992,084 for next year.

The reductions approved were painful for many, including some board members who had tears in their eyes as they approved the motions to make the cuts. It was reminiscent of two years ago, when the Neoga board cut almost one dozen positions to save money.

Pressler, who was hired as interim superintendent after Charles Castle's retirement a couple of months ago, said the District had "overemployed".

Here are the cuts approved Wednesday at Neoga:

--teaching positions were eliminated; including those of Ted Kerner and Sheri Schafer, both of whom have taught in the district 15 or more years. Kerner taught PE and driver's ed, while Schafer taught family consumer science. Other teachers honorably dismissed after this year are Art teacher Heather Siegal, Special Education and Title I teacher Kelly Lohman, Special Education teacher Connie Albin, Math teacher Allison Glenney, Elementary and Title II teacher Sara Groves, and Title I teacher Andrea Lindsay. That's eight teachers not brought back for next year. Add to that Speech teacher Christine Fraser was reduced to half-time, but will remain fully employed. The Neoga board approved an agreement with the Stew-Stras School District to share Fraser, who will teach Speech and serve as a speech/language pathologist half-time in each district.

--extra-duty and stipend assignments were ended in large measure, with the cuts including Seth James as assistant girls basketball coach, Kimberly Romack as assistant junior high girls basketball coach, Kirk Hacker as intramurals coach, and Maureen Letizia as assistant junior high volleyball coach.

--a number of support staff positions were eliminated, including Deborah Thomas as a secretary, Sharon Monroe and Teresa Walk as cooks, Richard Clayton and Thomas Young Sr. as custodians, Julie Altman and Barbara Titus as library aides, Amy Cleeton, Gerald Hellman and Cassandra Huff as bus aides, Barbara Kingery, Gwendolyn McTeer, Ronda Golden Flowers, Jan Shull, Shari Roy, Carrie Althoff, Jennifer Ramert, and Patricia Peterson as one-on-one aides, Amanda Osborn, Kimberly Ewing, Leah Keck, Roberta Gingerich and Jenny Ballinger as teacher aides,

--reduced extra-curricular assignments, duties and stipends, including Zach Miller as assistant fall and assistant spring baseball coach, Tyler Szatkowski as assistant junior high baseball coach, Matthew Scott Stremming as frosh/soph basketball coach, Darin Hansen as junior high boys basketball coach, Katlynn Kauffman as assistant softball coach, Jaimee Roy as assistant track coach, Matt Davis as junior high assistant track coach, and Mike Roy as assistant high school and JV basketball coach.

We talked with Interim Superintendent Beth Pressler after the meeting about the cuts...

The steps taken Wednesday night were designed to cut expenditures. As to Pressler's remarks that the District needs to boost its revenues, Neoga district voters will be considering a tax hike referendum on the April 7 ballot. It's estimated that the District would receive an additional $800,000 a year if the referendum passes.