by Ellin Walsh
Reporter
Cuyahoga Falls -- Suggesting belt-tightening should begin at the top, Cuyahoga Falls School Board President Barbara L. Gunter said the two chief administrators for the Cuyahoga Falls City School District will not receive raises in their base pay for the 2009-10 school year.
"While we value the contributions of the superintendent and treasurer and support their efforts to make our schools stronger," Gunter wrote in an e-mail to the Cuyahoga Falls News-Press, "We also recognize the challenges of the current economy and the difficulties it has placed on many. Knowing that many in the community are losing jobs or losing hours, taking pay cuts or furloughs, we have opted not to issue pay increases for our two employees."
Gunter said Falls School District Superintendent Dr. Edwin Holland and District Treasurer Kathryn Sines were informed of the Board's decision during an executive session Aug. 24.
"I can understand the Board members' position on this matter," Holland said in a Sept. 2 e-mail to the newspaper. Sines did not respond to a request for comment.
Both the superintendent and treasurer received a 3 percent pay raise in August 2008. Holland earns $115,500 annually, and Sines earns $90,700 per year.
Gunter said she could offer no estimate on how much money the move will save the district, since no Board member made a motion to give either the superintendent or treasurer a particular pay increase.
According to Holland, the Board of Education decides each year whether there will be any pay increases for the superintendent and treasurer. Gunter told the News-Press that "despite the strong performance of Dr. Holland and Mrs. Sines, the economic conditions of today played a large role in the Board's consideration."
Gunter credited the leadership of the superintendent and treasurer as contributing to the district's "Excellent" rating on the Local Report Card recently released by the Ohio Department of Education.
The district projects a $2.6 million deficit in 2011.
The Board of Education has implemented a freeze on mileage and professional development funds for its members during 2009.
E-mail: ewalsh@recordpub.com
Phone: 330-686-3908