Board approves raises for superintendent, treasurer
Akron Public Schools Board of Education
By Jeff Gorman
The Akron Public Schools District Board of Education agreed to increase the salaries of the superintendent and treasurer during the March 26 meeting.
School board member Paul Allison said Superintendent Sylvester Small and Treasurer Jack Pierson were paid less than their counterparts around the state. Allison also noted the two agreed to voluntary wage freezes during the schools’ recent financial crisis. With the raises, Pierson will now make $123,500 per year, while Small will earn $167,000 per year.
The raise is the first for Small since becoming the district’s superintendent in May 2001. Pierson also has not had a raise in five years. Also during the meeting, the board agreed to support a proposed state constitutional amendment, called Getting it Right for Ohio’s Future, that would reform Ohio’s public school funding system.
School board members have often complained that the current system places too heavy a burden on property taxes. The amendment, if passed, would establish a high-quality education as the fundamental right of every child in Ohio.
“The document is not perfect,” said board member the Rev. Curtis Walker, “but we can either stay where we are or step out on faith. The governor will have to work with both sides of the aisle to find the money for this. It’s the first step, but not the only step.”
“We have reached the point where we’ve tried everything, including lawsuits,” said board member Kirt Conrad. “The current funding formula has failed everyone. A constitutional amendment is the best avenue we have.”
Board President Linda Kersker was out of town, but she sent a statement supporting the amendment. Board member James Hardy cast the only dissenting vote.
“The amendment falls short by not identifying a funding source,” he said. “It relies on the General Assembly, which is the very legislative body that failed us in the past. I think they will cut other areas before they raise the taxes necessary to fund the schools.
“I do support the concept of the right to a quality education. It’s a shame that we even have to write that down,” Hardy added. “Also, this amendment includes a legislative override with a three-fifths vote. What if the legislature vetoes the education budget and then does nothing?”
In other news, the Joint Board of Review voted to crack down on contractors who are not reporting on the affirmative action hiring goals of the school reconstruction project. The joint board voted to freeze the pay of the noncomplying contractors, as well as to bar them from any future contracts. These rulings are subject to legal review before they can go into effect.
These actions came in response to a report from construction monitor Robert Fisher. He identified 10 companies that have been “blatant” in their failure to report their affirmative action efforts. Those companies are Golub Mechanical, The K Co., Lockhart Concrete, D&A Plumbing, Intec Building Systems, Prout Boiler, Roth Bros., H.L. Parker, Tuscon and Meccon.
The Joint Board wasted no time enforcing its new rules, as it held up a contract for The K Co. for work on a new elevator at Firestone High School.
Fisher’s report stated that 7.8 percent of work on the reconstruction project has gone to firms in the Minority EDGE plan, compared to the goal of 25 percent.
Also, the school board heard a presentation from Desiree Bolden and Carla Sibley, of the After School program. They encouraged the board to help them find grant money to keep the program going.
Currently, 161 students participate in the After School program at 11 schools. Later this spring, Bolden and Sibley will speak before Congress on the importance of after-school programs.
The next regular school board meeting will be April 9 at 5:30 p.m. at the Administration Building, 70 N. Broadway. The Joint Board of Review is scheduled to meet at 4 p.m.
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