May 26, 2011
Reynoldsburg schools
District looking at $3.7 million in cuts By DAVID S. OWEN ThisWeek Community Newspapers With the state budget still making its way through the approval process, Superintendent Steve Dackin said Reynoldsburg schools are anticipating expenditure cuts of $3.7 million over the next two fiscal years. That includes a reduction in antici-
pated expenditures of $2.4 million for the 2012 fiscal year and another $1.3 million for the 2013 fiscal year. He told the board of education at its May 17 meeting the lower spending is in response to the reduction in revenues expected from state and federal cuts. Details of how the district will reduce expenditures will be announced closer to the finalization of the state budget,
Ad hoc group will examine city’s finances
Dackin said. As for specific cuts, he said they most likely will include district personnel. “Certainly, personnel is the largest part of our budget, so for us to reduce at the magnitude we’re talking about reducing … it’s any savings we can get,” Dackin said. He said negotiating with the teachers union will be a factor.
“I’ll move forward with reductions; negotiations will impact the magnitude of those personnel reductions, potentially,” Dackin said. He said if House Bill 153 gets approved by the Senate, it will most likely head to a conference committee, with the assumption some changes will be made. “I am told it is on target to be approved
by the conference committees in both houses and sent to the governor and approved by June 30,” Dackin said. “So the good news, if there’s good news in this budget, it looks like it’s headed off for a timely approval process.” Despite potential budget changes before its final approval Dackin said the See CUTS, page A3
SWING TIME
Harris suggests $2-million transfer from CIP budget to general fund By DAVID S. OWEN ThisWeek Community Newspapers Reynoldsburg City Council named five people May 23 to a special ad hoc committee to explore possible permanent budget fixes for the city. The recommendation was made by Mayor Brad McCloud, city auditor Richard Harris and council president Bill Hills. Harris said having a committee that is not involved in the city’s day-to-day operations could provide an honest appraisal of how to fix the problem. The five people appointed to the committee — Brad Sprague, Dave Reidel, Linda Smith, Bill Shorthill and Larry McGrath — have expertise in banking, investment, finance and business ownership. One item the committee could discuss is a suggestion Harris made at Monday’s council meeting to transfer $2 million from the city’s capital improvement plan (CIP) fund to the general fund in order to provide an adequate budget balance at the end of 2012 to cover the city’s day-to-day operating expenditures. See AD HOC GROUP, page A2
By Eric George/ThisWeek
Tanya Bean gives 18-month-old Jaiden a push on the swingset as she holds 2-week-old Kaitlyn on May 20 at Kennedy Park in Reynoldsburg.
Kennedy Park
Handicap-accessible playground plans take shape By DAVID S. OWEN ThisWeek Community Newspapers The Kiwanis Club of Reynoldsburg and the city’s parks and recreation department hope to break ground in June 2012 on a handicap-accessible playground in Kennedy Park. The idea was presented to the city by Kiwanis
Club secretary Phil Kiser, who served as Reynoldsburg’s parks and recreation director between 1971 and 2002. Kiser said plans are only in the preliminary stages now. A site plan has not been developed yet, nor has a location been chosen in Kennedy Park, but he said those plans will be in the works in the next few months.
Kiser said building such a facility would cost about $125,000, money he said the club hopes to receive through donations, fundraisers and possible grants, if any are available. He said the grants could come from such organizations as the Columbus Foundation or the See PLAYGROUND, page A4
Retiring Reynoldsburg school bus driver named driver of the year By DAVID S. OWEN ThisWeek Community Newspapers Retiring Reynoldsburg school bus driver Mary Ellen Theaumont was honored last week with the bus driver of the year award in the central region by the Ohio Association of Pupil Transportation (OAPT). The Reynoldsburg Board of Education presented Theaumont with a certificate of recognition for the achievement on May 17. District transportation supervisor Mike Rosenberger has nothing but good things
to say about Theaumont and her long career driving for Reynoldsburg schools over the past 39 years. “She has transported 6,000-plus students in her career, traveled 725,000 bus miles, taken 2,400 field trips that included two state championship teams in track and volleyball,” Rosenberger said. “She’s been a member of the Reynoldsburg school’s safety committee, a union building representative, a service director for the Girl Scouts of America for five years, a scout leader for 18 years, and member of the Knights of Columbus Women League for 10 years.”
OAPT president-elect Tim Cox said among some 4,000 school bus drivers in 11 counties that encompass the central region, Theaumont is the best of the best. He said she was chosen to receive the award because of the length of time she committed herself to the job, for her outstanding attendance and dependability, and for her safe driving record and good student discipline. “Mary Ellen was always friendly, always knowledgeable and willing to go the extra mile for anybody, just a model See BUS DRIVER, page A2
Retiring Reynoldsburg school bus driver Mary Ellen Theaumont was honored last week with the bus driver of the year award in the central region by the Ohio Association of Pupil Transportation (OAPT). By Chris Parker/ThisWeek
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