Although voters turned down Issue 21 Nov. 6, the $76 million bond issue, which would have been used to tear down existing Chardon Schools buildings and build a new grade-six-through-12 building, is still a topic of conversation in the community.
Although voters turned down Issue 21 Nov. 6, the $76 million bond issue, which would have been used to tear down existing Chardon Schools buildings and build a new grade-six-through-12 building, is still a topic of conversation in the community.
On Nov. 8, Craig Lenart, a Chardon resident whose children attend an online charter school, posted a petition on change.org asking the public to support the termination or resignation of Chardon Schools Superintendent Michael Hanlon due to his failure to manage the deteriorating conditions of the school district’s buildings. As of Nov. 11, the petition had over 200 signatures.
“Mike Hanlon has failed the Chardon school district over the last six years,” Lenart wrote in his petition. “He has, either intentionally or through neglectful management, failed to maintain the condition of Chardon Schools. His failed attempt with a poorly conceived, fiscally irresponsible Issue 21, attempting to address the issues caused by his tenure, was resoundingly rejected by commonsense voters in Chardon.”
On behalf of the Chardon Schools Board of Education, President Madelon Horvath responded to claims made in the petition language in an email Nov. 10.
“The idea of a ‘manufactured crisis’ could not be further from the truth,” Horvath said.
Reached by email, Lenart said Hanlon is not performing his duties in a way that benefits the voters or the students.
Lenart also outlined what he sees as failures by the board in managing costs, including $200,000 spent last year on Chromebooks he said could have been spent on building maintenance.
Horvath said the state mandated a move to computer-based testing and the district has chosen to focus on ensuring students have opportunities to develop technology skills that will serve them in the future.
“I think the individuals who voted ‘no’ for Issue 21 would be more likely to vote ‘yes’ on a plan where the district takes an across-the-board reduction in salaries to offset at least a portion of the cost of the capital outlay requirement,” Lenart said. “If all district employees accepted a 5-percent reduction in salary, this would free up an estimated $1.3 million towards maintenance and new buildings per year.”
Horvath said neither the board, nor the superintendent, can mandate a salary reduction, which requires a collective bargaining process with employee bargaining units.
“Schools are a people business and 79 percent of a school budget is appropriately spent on salaries,” she said. “Teachers, administrators and support staff are the lifeblood of a school system and if we tried to cut salaries at all, we would lose staff.”
She added the district’s salaries are within the typical range for school districts and are in the middle range of Geauga County salaries.
Hanlon’s salary was $127,500 for the 2017-2018 school year, according to the Ohio Treasurer’s website, which lists the salaries of all public school superintendents. In comparision with other districts in the county with similar Ohio Department of Education rankings, Kenston Schools Superintendent Nancy Santilli is listed as receiving $135,935 and West Geauga Schools Supertindent Richard Markwardt $147,000.
The Chardon BOE came under fire after an October vote to award Hanlon the same 2 percent cost-of-living increase it had negotiated with the district’s certified and classified unions earlier in the year. That increase is not reflected in the salary figures listed on the state website.
Horvath said over the past five years, $3.5 million dollars went directly to facilities maintenance and improvement. However, one place the district feels a financial crunch is in squeezing transportation spending into their permanent improvement budget.
“Over those five years, the district has spent approximately $1.5 million dollars on purchase of new school buses and transportation vehicles,” Horvath said. “This has become a necessity as a result of the Ohio Legislature eliminating School Bus Replacement payments to school districts in 2009.”
Lenart, however, called on the board to quit making excuses, make the necessary building repairs and run the district based on what he called resounding feedback from constituents.
Referring to Chardon voters as “blue collar folks,” Lenart said area residents would prefer to fix bad plumbing before it backs up, or repair a leaky roof rather than allow it to deteriorate until water pours down the walls.
Most would not demolish a perfectly good home for those reasons, he said, adding he does not think the district should either.