May 28, 2004 By Steve Ostrosky 3 min read

MAPLETOWN – Directors in the Southeastern Greene School District approved revised articles of agreement for the Greene County Area Vocational-Technical School Thursday, but stressed that their ongoing concerns about vo-tech operations will not go unresolved. The board voted 6-2 to approve the revised articles, with directors Jeff Duranko and Sandy Theis opposed. Gary Yoskovich was absent Thursday.

All five school districts in the county have agreed to a $3.7 million proposed renovation to the vo-tech, but West Greene school directors approved the plan with the stipulation that the five districts approve revised articles of agreement.

The first change requires that the student-enrollment-figure formula that determines operating costs be reviewed every three years, as opposed to using the same formula for the entire 20 years of the agreement.

Walter Stout, consultant for the vo-tech, has said the districts pay for the vo-tech operating costs at a 40/60 formula, with 40 percent of each district’s share determined by the total number of 10th- through 12th-graders in each district, and the other 60 percent determined by the number of students from the district who are attending the vo-tech.

That 40/60 formula is slated to expire June 30, but the revised articles would keep that formula intact for another two years.

Southeastern Greene directors balked at approving the revised articles last month after expressing concern about transportation and scheduling issues at the school. The revised articles also decrease the guaranteed minimum enrollment from Southeastern Greene while increasing minimum enrollment numbers at other districts.

In the motion, the board stated that the vo-tech joint operating committee and school officials will work to address concerns about instructional time, scheduling and transportation of Southeastern Greene students who attend the vo-tech.

“We’re the only district in Greene County that’s losing money because of not enough instructional time,” Theis said. “We’re also the farthest school from the vo-tech, and we’re paying the most in transportation.”

Board President Gary Moser said the board plans to work with the other districts in the next two years on a new agreement that is favorable to all districts in the county, including Southeastern Greene.

“We’ll play hardball if we have to,” he said. “We won’t back down from any school district.”

Southeastern Greene was the last district in Greene County to approve the revised articles, and the board’s approval paves the way for the renovation project to begin, though the construction start date has been pushed back to September rather than over the summer months.

In another matter, the board approved the district’s 2004-05 tentative budget totaling $9,260,000, over $450,000 less than the current budget.

Business manager Patrick Sweeney said the district will save money through a teacher retirement incentive plan and making some changes to district transportation. The tax rate will remain at 26.23 mills, he said.

As another way of cutting costs, the board discussed the furlough of at least five teachers/professional staff members on top of the five teachers who have already submitted retirement notices.

According to the motion, the district’s student population has declined by 23 percent over the last decade and furloughs were suggested after a review of enrollment for the 2004-05 school year.

Duranko said he worked to draft the employee retirement incentive plan as a way to prevent layoffs and said he would not support furloughing employees.

“This is not something I recommend, and I’m not going back on my word,” he said.

The motion failed, with only Theis and Joe Spiker voting for the motion.