As this reporter wrote about in last week's issue, the Conneaut School Board of Directors went ahead and approved a no tax increase preliminary budget when they met in May voting session Wednesday evening at Linesville's Alice L. Schafer Elementary School.

The $34,703,208.36 passed on a 7-1 vote with board president Jody Sperry absent. She was in Washington D.C.

Noting it is only a preliminary budget and that a final budget must be adopted no later than June 30, board member David Schaef said work would continue on the budget and that a preliminary budget needed to be put in place to allow for a 30-day public inspection as required by state law.

Dr. Carol Bocan cast the no vote saying, she believed "that we are reducing the quality of education in all six buildings of the Conneaut School District by Furloughing Teachers especially in the academic subjects of English, Math and Science so that more students can be added to each of these classes in order to reduce costs forced on us and each school district in Pennsylvania by Gov. Corbett and our state legislators. Education should be our top priority in this state but funded in a more equitable way, not on the backs of property owners so that children in rural and economic depressed areas are those who suffer the most from state unfunded mandates and reductions of state yearly funding. Therefore I will be voting no on this directive."

The state, under Gov. Corbett, has proposed reducing funding to the school district by just under $2-million.

Less positions not being filled due to retirement, the board approved furloughs of 18 positions: Conneaut Lake Elementary art, kindergarten, and 6th grade teacher; Conneaut Valley 6th grade teacher; Linesville Schafer Elementary music teacher, health and phys ed position, a second grade teacher, a 3rd grade teacher, and a 4th grade teacher;

Conneaut Lake High School social studies, teacher, an English teacher, a biology/science teacher, a learning support teacher;

a Conneaut Valley High School Emotional Support teacher, a Linesville High School science teacher as well as the District IST Coordinator position, the transition coordinator, and a 1/2 time German teacher among positions listed.

Teachers listed as being furloughed include Justin Ethridge, Jamie Kellogg, Nicole Smith, Ed Vorisek, Heidi Bechtel, Elysa Farrell, Shelia Mahoney, Mary Wilson, EJ Bocan, Amber Heil, Megan Storek, Greg Dinsmore, Danielle Hewston and Robert Uzelac.

Other staff listed as being furloughed include Myrna Adkins, Ann Holland, Kristi Logan, Lisa Zinz, Sheryl Blood, Elyse Hood, Scott Palotas, Cindy Cosner, Sharyl Jockel and Beverly Zello.

CVE's Rebecca Matczak has chosen to retire and ASE art teacher Paula Vorisek will retire December 31.

Dinsmore and Kellogg will return as they fill in for others and the ASE gym teacher will remain as a high school gym teacher is bumped..

The school board also approved a retirement/resignation with Wendy Szallay, superintendent, due to health reasons, with a final date to be determined based on final paper.

A possibility is the board could move the assistant up in time and not fill the assistant's position..