Akron Public Schools board approved layoffs Monday night for school deans, paraprofessionals, library aides and one art therapist with the district facing what it called tough financial decisions.
In total, the board of education approved $11 million in budget reductions that it had deliberated on for more than two months. Akron Superintendent Mary Outley had initially proposed cutting more than three dozen staff, but after the board balked at that initial plan, the administration went back to the drawing board, cutting budgets elsewhere and reducing the total number of layoffs.
Districts across Northeast Ohio have been cutting staff, reducing programs and closing school buildings in recent months as advocates say state funding has not kept up with rising costs. Critics, meanwhile, argue schools are due to cut back on expenses after enrollment declined due to birth rates and other factors. The majority of levies in Ohio and across the region also failed in the May 5 primary as residents deal with rising property taxes and increased costs of living…