Shaker Board of Education Approves Appointments, Stadium Scoreboard

Aside from providing a , the Shaker Heights Board of Education approved employment measures and another improvement to the high school stadium.

Board members approved the appointments of eight new teachers, a psychologist, a high school guidance counselor and a school nurse. The board also approved a long list of temporary employees that includes various tutors, lunch room supervisors and aides for the 2012-2013 school year.

Six teachers will resign this year, with three designated as retirees. The district plans to bring two of the teachers, J. Michael Bartley and Raymond Skitzki, back in a similar capacity. The board held a public meeting on the matter, though nobody from the public offered comments. Bartley and Skitzki have a combined 71 years of teaching experience.

will likely rehire the teachers at its July 10 meeting. Their new packages of salaries and benefits will save the district a combined $40,000. Superintendent Mark Freeman said the district usually projects a combined $400,000 salary difference between retirees and their replacements.
 
The board also approved the purchase and installation of a scoreboard from Daktronics Inc. as part of the high school stadium renovation. Treasurer Bryan C. Christman said the scoreboard will cost $99,497. In all, the renovation project includes a new track, field, drainage, fencing and an audio system. It will cost about $1.9 million and is expected by complete by late August.

"(The new scoreboard will be) a bit jazzier," Freeman said. "It's a multi-sport scoreboard and it has a blank video screen as part of the scoreboard, so some graphics can be put on it and some statistics. I think it's pretty exciting."

The fiscal year does not end until June 30, but the district already made temporary annual appropriations for next school year totaling $117.2 million. The board also adopted the tax budget on Tuesday. The library board of trustees approves matters, but Shaker Heights Schools maintains fiduciary responsibilities for the library.

The approved budget is expected to result in a $901,600 balance.