It is May and school boards across the state must approve a preliminary budget to be on review for 30 days before final adoption by June 30.

The Conneaut Board of Education is expected to review preliminary figures at its work session and regular meeting this month, and approve that prelim document at its voting meeting next week..

The school directors shared various budget figures with members of the public at a meeting in March and since then has met in executive session since many issues dealt with personnel. Those details will now go public as the board has settled on cuts throughout targeting numerous positions including administrative, teaching, aides, etc.

The district is dealing with a proposed state budget that recommends they will fund its basic education monies - the largest item that goes to local districts in terms of state support - at the 2008-09 level, that for a third year in a row keeps special education funds at the same level, that eliminates money from funds through Accountability block grants, reimbursement of charter schools, educational assistance programs, dual enrollment programs and funds to Intermediate units among others.

Also seeing either decreases and/or level funding are Pre-K Counts, School Employees Social Security and Career and Technical Education., again among others.

The cutback in state funds impacts the Conneaut District at about $1.8 million with several people addressing the board at recent meetings saying don't raise taxes.

The district has reduced teaching positions by 15 over the past 5 years alone with all staff paying towards health insurances, something not done just a half dozen years ago.

Why citizens are angry with local school boards due to the cutbacks in state funds when the governor, in proposing his budget cutbacks to the 2008-09 year, amounting to $500,708,508, or 8.7%, force forces funding to be done more at the local level.

Citizens should ask if the governor and the state legislators cut their salaries to those levels, if they have reduced gas costs to those levels, if they have cut electric or insurance costs to those levels.

Local cuts will see larger classroom sizes especially at the elementary school level. Adjustments will be seen in music, art and phys ed programs.

This paper, in receiving several comments received one that said "you are far enough in debt with the six present schools without even thinking of going in hock for another one". That could not be further from the truth as there is no discussion on a new school, only the best use of current school buildings.

A comment saying cut assistant athletic directors to save money was also wrong. The district has no such assistants.