Board tells administration to pursue cost‑saving measures while protecting student‑facing staff

Board members pressed district leaders on June 2 to identify near‑term cost‑saving measures and produce prioritized recommendations that limit harm to classroom instruction.

The discussion — prompted by a treasurer memorandum on the district’s financial outlook — focused on three early priorities the board asked administration to examine first: a human‑capital report (vacancies, attrition, retirements, and an explicit flag for whether positions are student‑facing), transportation efficiencies (route alignment and contract terms), and a review of student‑services and preschool program impacts. Several board members emphasized that reductions should, whenever possible, avoid cutting positions that directly instruct or support students.

Superintendent Jamie Grub described transportation constraints: “Our current bus routes were established before I came to the district and...this is my eighth year,” he said, noting existing contracts set a flat cost structure and a set number of routes that limit short‑term reconfiguration without contractual review. The board asked legal staff to confirm whether route counts and per‑route payment structures permit rapid changes and whether there are contract amendments that could reduce costs.

One board member referenced an earlier four‑year forecast by the treasurer that projected a roughly $4.5 million reduction in state funding as the backdrop for urgency. Members asked for two packages when recommendations return: (1) a treasurer’s proposal that shows dollars and fiscal tradeoffs, and (2) an education‑centered proposal indicating instructional impacts and alternatives. The board signaled it was giving administration the authority to proceed with analysis and union engagement but emphasized that any final personnel actions would remain a board decision.

Public comment from Rachel Owens, an ELA teacher and parent, framed the board’s choices around classroom impact: “Cutting positions that are student‑facing and that directly impact the education of Groveport Madison students will be detrimental to the district,” she said, urging administrators and trustees to prioritize supports such as Title I teachers, counselors, and social workers.

Next steps: administration will produce an initial package (human‑capital report, transportation contract review, discretionary spending inventory, and ranked 'low‑hanging fruit') and present prioritized options to the board for review.