Lorain Board of Education approves bulk of staff reductions

The Lorain City School District's Board of Education officially voted unanimously to approve staff reductions amounting to the elimination of 94 positions. The action at Monday's meeting is the most recent step in an effort to balance next year's budget, which faced a shortfall of more than $17 million. The reductions include 69 members of the Lorain Education Association, the union that represents teachers, school counselors, social workers and speech language pathologists. Board members also approved the elimination of 24 administrative positions, including non-represented positions and positions represented by the Lorain Administrators' Association, with Monday night's vote. Reductions to the Lorain Education Association are to take effect July 1. Beyond educators and administrators, Lorain's board of education also approved the suspension of the contract of a safety officer. The cuts follow a state-required slash to the district's budget totaling more than $17 million. "This whole thing is just awful," said Superintendent Jeff Graham. "It's harmful to children. These are how people provide for their families. It's how they provide insurance. It's how they eat." In total, Lorain Schools plans to eliminate 167 positions to fully balance next year's budget. Graham said the changes to funding came after the district had already planned its budget for the coming school year. "Because it happened so late — one was in June, the other cut was in August and the other one was in October — it's too late to do anything. We already have our contract signed," Graham said. "We couldn't make major adjustments this year, so we have to make twice as much for next year and moving forward." Lisa Roberson, associate director of communications for the district, said 29 additional positions are planned to be eliminated at a later meeting. However, officials were able to meet the overall figure of 167 through the attrition of staff members leaving, particularly through retirement, according to Roberson, whose position was among the ones that will be cut. Graham added that beyond staff reductions, the district was able to achieve cost savings by repurposing two elementary schools which he said will result in more efficient scheduling. District and city officials have previously pointed to changes in how public education is funded by governments at the federal, state and local levels to explain why the district has had to deal with the current shortfall. School districts throughout Lorain County have dealt with similar budget reductions, including Elyria Schools. However, none have faced a deficit as large as Lorain. "Some things that we used to do just won't get done any more because we can't afford to do it," Graham said. Graham acknowledged that next school year will look different for students and staff. However, he said that the district would work together to address the needs of the community. "We will continue to work together," Graham said. "It's awful, and the awfulness doesn't just start and end tonight. … We'll get through this together." Contact Garrett Looker at glooker@chroniclet.com.