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As city's population continues to decline, student numbers dwindle. Meanwhile, publicly funded alternatives further erode enrollment
By John Higgins Beacon Journal staff writer
Published on Tuesday, Nov 13, 2007
When Sylvester Small became a full-time social studies teacher in Akron Public Schools in 1971, the district had about 55,600 students.
When Small became superintendent 30 years later in 2001, the number of students had fallen to about 30,400 — a 45 percent drop that has a direct effect on school funding for buildings and operations.
During Small's tenure as superintendent, it has dropped about 14 percent more.
Small, who announced last week that he is retiring July 31 next year, says he has had to focus more on money — how to save it, stretch it and get more of it — than any of his predecessors did.
''I've spent more time on finances than probably most things that you spend (time) on as a superintendent,'' Small said. ''And that takes away that time you can spend on teaching and learning.''
The overall pool of school-age children has declined as Akron's population has dropped and an increasing number of publicly funded alternatives erode Akron's enrollment.
''In all the urban areas and around most of the state of Ohio, we're not growing students,'' Small said. ''There are fewer students out there and there are more and more options out there.''
Small had been assistant superintendent for six years before taking over in 2001, so he understood well the financial pressures that would dominate his tenure.
''The first thing I told the board was we need to put a levy on the ballot and that was in June,'' Small said. ''We put it on the ballot in August and we passed it that November. That's when we got the Contract With the Community.''
That contract was a pledge that if voters approved the levy, the district would keep spending increases under 3 percent annually and hold a tight rein on the budget.
When Small returned to the voters last November for another levy, he was able to show that he had kept the promise.
Between 2001 and 2006, the district had cut more than $40 million from its operating budget, including 575 jobs, and kept all spending increases under 3 percent annually. Voters approved a 7.9-mill permanent additional levy last year.
''Even when you pass a levy, you
still are reducing your budget,'' Small said. ''There hasn't been one year that we have not reduced our budget.''
School reconstruction
Declining enrollment also affects the massive school reconstruction program under way. The Ohio State Facilities Commission, which oversees the project, evaluates enrollment trends every year.
Akron is not quite halfway through its $800 million school reconstruction project. Projects that are already in the design/ construction pipeline will get done.
Three new schools are scheduled for completion over the Christmas break: Jennings Middle School, Mason Elementary and Betty Jane Elementary.
But several schools slated for renovation or replacement are still vulnerable to changes based on enrollment.
The district has been working with the state commission on alternatives to closure, such as building a smaller school than planned, replacing a big school with a smaller one instead of renovating it, and reconfiguring schools.
East High School, for example, will stay open, but it will also serve middle school students.
''We've also closed buildings,'' Small said. ''Prior to my coming, we hadn't closed buildings for, I don't know, maybe 25 years or so.''
More changes to the master plan, including possible school closures, are likely because the state commission is reviewing enrollment trends every year, Small said.
Loss of students
The district expects to lose 500 students annually over the next five years from the total pool of school-age children. These are students who just leave the district, for whatever reason, according to Treasurer Jack Pierson.
For the remaining students, Akron competes with charter schools, an open-enrollment policy that allows students to enroll in suburban schools, and a new voucher program that allows students to attend religious and other private schools at public expense.
Last year, the district lost 13 percent of its students to charters and open enrollment. This year, for the first time, the district lost 210 kids from poorly performing district schools who received publicly funded vouchers to attend private schools.
Pierson projects that the district will lose an additional 200 students a year because of the three school-choice options.
Taxes and aid
More than 90 percent of the district's operating revenue comes from two sources: local property taxes and state aid, which is calculated according to a complex formula that amounts to a certain dollar amount per student.
How that money is distributed is a complicated and highly contentious matter, but the bottom line for Akron is that it is funded after money is subtracted for students who choose to attend school elsewhere.
''It's never cost-neutral because you're not able to reduce expenditures the same way your revenue is reduced,'' Pierson said.
The district has certain fixed costs, such as utilities, that aren't affected by lower enrollment unless it becomes possible to close an entire school.
But it's not that simple, because students leaving the district typically come out of different classes at different grade levels at different schools, and may show up again at some point during the year.
Budget planning
Although a budget committee that Small reinstated after he became superintendent meets regularly to discuss enrollment trends and finances, budget planning begins in the next few months for the following school year.
The current five-year forecast shows a projected deficit of nearly $30 million in fiscal year 2011, which more than doubles the following year to almost $72 million. A lot could happen with state funding before that comes to pass, however, so Small is keeping his attention focused on keeping the budget for the next school year as tight as possible.
''It's hard to predict because you don't know what the state budget is going to be five years from now,'' Small said. ''And remember, the governor has said that fixing education funding is his No. 1 priority.''
Small credits the Akron community with keeping the district afloat during hard times. ''No charter school has to go out and raise property taxes, do they?'' Small said. ''So we spend a lot of energy and a lot of time away from our core mission to try to get resources in. The thing about our community, they've been very, very gracious about passing issues and then our business community, our foundations have been very, very good about also trying to help us.''
John Higgins can be reached at 330-996-3792, 800-777-7232 or jhiggins@thebeaconjournal.com.
When Sylvester Small became a full-time social studies teacher in Akron Public Schools in 1971, the district had about 55,600 students.
Get the full article here.
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