Toledo school board slates session to look at ideas for budget cuts

2/24/2010

The Toledo Board of Education plans to hold a special meeting next week to receive a list of possible spending cuts from the administration, board president Bob Vasquez said Tuesday night.

After the special meeting, scheduled for 5:30 p.m. March 3 in the Thurgood Marshall Building, the board then plans to hold a public hearing March 15 or 17 at Start High School to get citizen feedback on the proposed cuts. The board will vote on adopting those cuts at its regular March 23 meeting, Mr. Vasquez said.

The district is facing a $30 million deficit and is asking voters to approve a 0.75 percent income tax on the May 4 ballot. The tax, if approved, would generate $18.1 million annually for the struggling district.

At its meeting last night, the board deferred action on hiring a consultant to find candidates for the position of superintendent, which is to become vacant Aug. 1, when John Foley steps down.

The three consultants under consideration are Ray and Associates of Cedar Rapids, Iowa, Proact Search of Wilmette, Ill., and the Ohio School Boards Association.