The plan calls for laying off more than 12 percent of district employees, almost 160 people -- 79 of those are teachers. Rieger says, "As I went through that rather methodically, it's with a heavy heart because of the human element that is attached to this."
Jim Nusbaum, Sylvania school board member, says, "To let go of this number of talented professionals is very difficult for our district. It's going to impact children."
The plan would increase class sizes K - 12. It would reduce the number of sections and elective offerings in core high school courses of math, social studies, science, and english, as well as career tech, world languages and fine arts. Several people spoke out against eliminating elementary guidance counselors and other parts of the plan.
Jan Weber, Sylvania schools employee, says, "It is the wrong decision, it is wrong for our children, and wrong for Sylvania schools."
Sylvania Southview student, Austin Serna, says, "I think extracurriculars, such as Harry Potter club should go rather than guidance counselors or even the choir department at our school."
There is also an impact to sports. The superintendent's proposal calls for an increase in high school athletic participation fees. Right now, parents pay a flat fee for their kid to play all sports, which is $125 per year no matter if you play one or three sports. The superintendent wants to increase that to $200 per sport with no family cap.
Sylvania school board president Vicki Donovan-Lyle says, "It's sobering, these are drastic, dramatic cuts. The face of education in Sylvania schools will change if we implement all of these cuts."
Many people in the room blame Sylvania voters for forcing these cuts, rather than passing the levy back in November. David Spiess, Sylvania School Board vice president, says, "At this point, when we should be investing more in our education system, we're actually divesting ourselves. Shame on the majority of our population for allowing that to happen."
No action will be taken until the board hears feedback from the community. You can voice your opinion about the superintendent's plan this Thursday at 7:00 p.m. The meeting has been moved to Southview High School. It had originally been scheduled to take place at the Sylvania Senior Center.
