QV Rejects Parkway West Budget

Looking to send a clear message, Quaker Valley School Board Tuesday night approved one portion of the Parkway West Career and Technology Center’s multi-million dollar budget, but voted down the remaining budget costs.

Superintendent Joseph Clapper said the technology center's three-part budget shows a "substantial" increase, including 4.4 percent in the general fund and 1.4 percent in alternative education. The building budget also increased because the vocational-technical school is in need of a new roof.

When lumped together, directors said Parkway West's budget hike for next school year is  "sizeable."

“I don’t think they’ve done a good enough job sharpening their pencils,” Clapper said.

The school board voted in three parts: 1-8 against the general operating budget and 7-2 against the building budget. The board voted 8-1 to approve the alternative education program budget

Director Dr. Kay Wijekumar said she flat out wasn't going to support the new spending plan.

“Every year they increase their budget so I’m totally against it. I will not support it,” she said.

Director Danielle Burnette said she also felt hesitant to approve a budget she hardly knew anything about. She pointed out that Moon Area School District had also voted down the plan.

This wasn't the first time the board voted down the budget with hopes of sending a message. In 2009, the board also chose not to approve the budget.

Parkway West has to receive majority approval from the 14 districts it serves in order to gain budget approval.

Director Gianni Floro, the only board member to vote for the entire budget, said he understands there has to be budget constraints, but he felt the board was throwing the baby out with the bathwater, adding that a sector of the population does attend the technology center.

“I think it provides a great service for our area,” Floro said.

Clapper said Quaker Valley began sending ninth graders to the technology center this year, jumping the number of district students who traditionally attend from about 20 up to 28. He said the budget scrutiny wasn't because he doesn't support the school, where he's going today for a robotics program.

“Nobody is more supportive of Parkway than me,” Clapper said. “I’m the one who said we need to start sending ninth graders there.”

But Clapper said doesn’t believe there has been enough discussion about the budget, not to mention the district hasn’t had any board representation at Parkway. 

Director Mark Rodgers was appointed Tuesday night to serve as Quaker Valley's representative to Parkway West, with board president Jack Norris as an alternate.

In other business, the board accepted the following resignations:

• Rita Kramer, Carol Loaskie, Cindy Degori and Pat Kriger, all administrative assistants, effective June 30.
• Custodians John Dunbar, effective March 29, and Ernie Russo, effective March 31.
• Kitchen coordinator Anita Coyne effective May 31.
• The board also approved a request from Lisa Brown, fourth-grade teacher at Edgeworth, to take a professional development sabbatical next school year.