BODY: Athens County school districts have turned to teacher cuts to help eliminate or prevent debt, but local student-to-teacher ratios almost always remained below the state average during the past five years.
In some districts, decreasing enrollment has played a role in keeping those ratios low.
Federal Hocking Local School District recently cut 18 positions, 12 of which were teachers, to alleviate some of the district's projected $1.8 million debt for next year.
Although other revenue-generating ideas, such as an operating levy or pay-to-play sports, have been suggested, the only board decision aimed at decreasing the debt has been to cut teachers, treasurer Bruce Steenrod said.
Despite cuts, Federal Hocking's student-to-teacher ratio next year would remain below the 2006 state average of 18.6 students per teacher, according to the Ohio Department of Education. The district's 2006 ratio was 14.5 students per teacher.
Federal Hocking's enrollment declined by 52 students, or 3.8 percent, between 2005 and 2006, Superintendent James Patsey has said.
Declining enrollment also played a part in the elimination of positions at Trimble Local School District. Enrollment there declined by 34 students last year, Superintendent Cindy Johnston said.
Trimble administrators tried to reduce school supply spending before eliminating positions while the district was in fiscal emergency, but found the cuts to be necessary, Johnston said.
Trimble schools' student-to-teacher ratio was 17.5 in 2006, according to the ODE.
Athens City School District's ratio was 15.9 in 2006, about 3 students-per-teacher below the state average.
Athens schools cut several teaching positions in recent years, treasurer Matt Bunting said. The district also often waits for teachers to retire and does not replace the position, a process called attrition.
District officials must wait until April or May to determine how much money Athens schools will receive from the state and federal budgets, which will determine how many teaching positions the district can afford, Bunting said.
In Gov. Ted Strickland's proposed budget, Athens would receive no new funds for two years.
Two years ago Nelsonville-York City School District cut 12 positions, mostly teachers' aides and a nurse position, and has eliminated other staff through attrition, Superintendent Ted Bayat said.
The district has tried to limit school supply spending or find less expensive items, but teaching positions are often the first to go when the budget is tight, Bayat said.
Nelsonville-York's student-to-teacher ratio was 18.0 in 2006. The district was the only in Athens County to exceed the state's student-to-teacher ratio in the past five years. In 2002, the district's ratio was 0.1 higher than the state average of 16.9, the ODE reported.
It's not the easiest time to be an educator
Bayat said.
Alexander School District plans to make several changes, such as eliminating positions through attrition and not purchasing new school buses, to avoid district-wide debt projected in 2011, Superintendent Robert Bray said.
Alexander schools' student-to-teacher ratio was 17.1 in 2006. 17
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SUBHED: Athens County looks to undo, waylay educational debt
