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Faced with declining enrollment and a projected $600,000 budget deficit next school year, the Board of Education voted 4-1last Wednesday to implement Superintendent Martha Essenmacher's plan to reduce the teaching staff from 69 to 59 and a half, and to begin the transition to a possible closing of the middle school in two years, should enrollment continue to drop.

Board member Brad Kohn cast the dissenting vote, urging the board to consider other options - from delaying the purchase of computers and selling advertising space on buses, to installing windmills for electricity, and privatizing the bus fleet. He also questioned the enrollment numbers used in the proposed 2008-09 budget.

"A lot can be done before layoffs and increasing the number of students taught by teachers," said Kohn, referring to the student to teacher classroom ratio.

"I think some of the things Brad brought up (are worth exploring)," said board member Tim Thomson. "But we have to do something tonight. We need to make cuts now," he said, citing the June 10 contractual deadline to notify teachers.

The staff reductions will affect teachers in first, second, third and the third-fourth grade split and the resource room at Maple Valley Elementary; fifth, sixth, seventh and eight grades at the middle school; and the district wide grants director position.

To initiate the building consolidation plan, fifth grade will move to Maple Valley in 2008-09 - three 5th grade teachers will transfer and one will be pink-slipped. If enrollment doesn't improve, 6th grade will move from the middle school to Maple Valley in 2009-10, and grades seven and eight to the high school. Essenmacher has suggested converting the middle school to an early childhood center and alternative education program.

The proposed 2008-09 budget is built on a projected enrollment of 1220, which is 12 fewer than what has been forecast in a consulting firm's recent study. However, Essenmahcer explained after the meeting she used the lower number because of this year's dramatic loss of more than 50 students, compared to the previous average annual loss of 26 for several years.

The superintendent also assured Kohn that although the student-teacher ration may increase, the district will comply with the contract.

"This proposal is all based on contractual class size, it's not violating the contract," sahe said.

Essenmacher and other board members also told Kohn that windmills, advertising on busses and privatizing the bus fleet had also been looked into in past years, and were rejected for various reasons.

Essenmacher said after the meeting that the proposed budget contains $180,000 for technology, which includes $60,000 for new computer work stations for students, and $107,000 for computer infrastructure which the district could possibly recoup through a federal grant that will be applied for.

Fifth grade teacher Jerry Schommer spoke out against closing the middle school.

"This is our showcase school on the main road (M-19) of Sandusky, setting adjacent to the beautiful athletic and playground facilities," said Schommer. "Closing it would create a negative or downward trend in the minds of our community. We need to think of alternative ways to help fund our schools adequately."