MANSFIELD — Mansfield’s board of education approved the district’s five-year forecast during Tuesday night’s meeting and made some changes to the way the renewal levy will show up on May’s ballot.
District Treasurer Robert Kuehnle laid out a plan to the board that showed a need for renewal levies. Depending on the state legislatures and whoever becomes Ohio’s next governor, the Cadillac Tax could mean the district will see up to $2 million increase in expenditures.
“As you can see … we go from a healthy carryover, to half a million dollars, to almost $13 million in red five years out if we do not renew those two levies,” Kuehnle explained to the board.
Each levy, which passed in 2013, brings the district $4 million and lasts five years. Kuehnle suggested to the board that the levies show up in a staggered form.
“That way if we have another financial slowdown or something to that affect, it really could affect the district losing $8 million at one time,” Kuehnle said.
The board approved Kuehnle’s five-year plan and agreed on the suggested recommendation for a staggered levy renewal, which would be discussed at a later time, board president Renda Cline concluded.
In other news, the board approved legislation that would change the district’s administrators’ health benefits to include fringe benefits. The plan will include a high-deductible ($5,000) health savings account instead of the existing low-deductible plan without an HSA.
The plan will also be made available as an option to union employees, superintendent Brian Garverick said.
The legislation passed with four agreeable votes and one dissenting vote from board member Chris Elswick, who believed the new policy should be presented and explained to administrators before the board voted to change it.
“I just think we’re putting the horse out in front without first explaining it to the administrators what’s happening,” Elswick said. “I would like to hear their input before I vote on this.”
He added that he is not necessarily against the district’s new policy.
“But I’d like to hear from the 35 administrators that we are changing the benefit package and that they are on board with it,” he said.
Kuehnle said he had spoken with and explained the plan to around 10 of the district’s 35 administrators about the plan. All of them understood the new benefits and were in favor, he said.
Board member Sheryl Weber, who used to serve as an administrator at Mansfield schools, said usually those types of changes were done without the administrators’ consent.
“Well they should have been,” Elswick said.
Newman Elementary demolition
Kuehnle said that 15 contractors bid on the Newman Elementary demolition project Tuesday afternoon.
Great Lakes Demolition, of Vickery, Ohio, won the bid, he said. The company bid the project at $206,000 and will cover asbestos removal and demolition. Kuehnle said the company has local ties.
“They are the contractors who did Lincoln Elementary in Ashland,” he said.
The project is slated to be completed by Nov. 7, 2016.
