Letter to the Editor: Reader Thinks Board of Education Must Address Spending on Personnel in the District

The following is a letter to the editor submitted by Richard G. Putka titled, “Board Members Advocate New Tax Levy.”

At the July 25^th Brecksville-Broadview Heights School Board meeting, current Board members up for re-election, advocated putting a tax levy for “new money” on the ballot in 2012. This is before the start of any negotiations with the teachers union whose contract expires next June. Also, this is before the outcome on the referendum of Senate Bill 5, which if upheld, would eliminate automatic Step raises and significantly change the way school boards negotiate contracts.

Unfortunately, our school board has previously negotiated very poorly. According to David Dosen, a board member at the time, the 2008 contract was approved “without these cost controls, even though all parties knew such action would result in significant deficit spending.” This contract resulted in the average teacher salary rising from $69,143 in 2008 to $77,352 in 2010, a nearly 12% increase. According to the May 2011 semi-annual Five-Year Forecast the Board filed with the state, deficit spending will be $1.3 million in 2011, $3.8M in 2012, $6.8M in 2013, $8.8M in 2014 and $10.7M in 2015.   

Without significant personnel cost savings in the June 2012 contract, taxpayers will be looking at not ONE, but TWO new tax levies of 5 mills in order to balance the budget by 2015. With our average teacher salary being the 3^rd highest out of 611 school districts in Ohio, I believe it’s obvious what the Board must do. Unfortunately, with 4 out of the 5 members either former teachers, spouses of teachers or advocates for new taxes, this Board will not do what is needed. With 3 of the 5 Board seats up for re-election, voters can change the direction of our school district and put it on the path toward fiscal solvency. 

Richard G. Putka

Candidate for School Board

Brecksville

Editor's note: Putka has said he has plans to run for the board in November, but has not filed a petition yet. Watch for more coverage on Brecksville Patch.

Editor’s note: The views of this author—and of the authors of any other letters to the editor—do not reflect the views of Brecksville Patch. To share your views with the community on Brecksville Patch, email Editor Rachel Abbey McCafferty.