Wednesday, March 20, 2024 • Vol. 16 No. 22 • FREE
Ashtabula Man Charged in Cardinal Bus Crash Staff Report Byron M. Currence, 23, of Ashtabula, was cited for his involvement in the Cardinal Schools bus accident March 1 in Middlefield Township. The Ohio State Highway Patrol accident report shows Currence was charged for failure to assure clear distance when a school bus was stopped to collect students on state Route 87 east of state Route 528 at about 7:41 a.m. A black Nissan Frontier pickup was stopped behind the bus when a 2021 Isuzu flatbed truck driven by Currence hit the pickup in the rear. The collision forced the pickup into the rear of the bus, then off the road to the right and into the ditch
Mayor Urges Collaboration With Cardinal Leadership Garlich Explores Making Village a ‘Charter Government’
By Ann Wishart ann@karlovecmedia.com
Middlefield Village Mayor Ben Garlich proposed several actions March 14 to ensure the healthy growth of the community following a year-in review presentation. Most notable was Garlich’s hope to build a partnership between the village and Cardinal Schools leadership, a position he has not held in the past. When neighboring Berkshire Schools was in the process of creating and funding a new, all-grade school several years ago, Garlich urged Cardinal to merge with Berkshire. “I was a strong proponent of consolidation,” he recalled. Village residents were opposed and Garlich ceased his campaign for consolidation, but last Thursday, he See Collaboration • Page 5
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The drivers of two pick-up trucks were treated for minor injuries after ramming into the back of a Cardinal Schools bus March 1. No one else was injured in the accident, officials said.
where it rolled over, according to the report. The flatbed then struck the rear of the bus, which sustained
minor damage. No students were injured and their families picked them up, Cardinal Schools Superintendent Jack
Cunningham said. The drivers of the trucks were transported to area hospitals with non-life-threatening injuries.
Budget Commission Scolds Cardinal Schools for Holding Too Much Cash By Ann Wishart ann@karlovecmedia.com
Geauga County Treasurer Chris Hitchcock questioned a huge budget carryover in the Cardinal Schools’ general fund during the Feb. 27 county budget commission meeting with the district’s administration. “Something happened in ‘21’22 where your estimated cash balance grew by $1.5 million,” said Hitchcock, who sits on the commission with county Prosecutor Jim Flaiz and Auditor Chuck Walder. Cardinal Schools Treasurer Terry Armstrong responded promptly the district received a boon of Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief funds during the COVID-19 pandemic. That American Rescue Plan money is the primary reason for the actual carryover increasing about $1.6 million in 2020-2021 and more than $3.63 million in 2021-2022, he said. During that time period, district expenses decreased partially because Cardinal closed its intermediate school, which was no longer needed due to falling enroll-
This graph shows the discrepancy in the Cardinal Schools budget carryover for the last two years. The extra cash is the result of ESSER funds from the ARPA.
ment, he said. In addition, the Fair School Funding law established that the state is responsible for providing revenue for Cardinal Schools students attending non-public schools. Before the law, Cardinal received $3,300 from the state for each student, but had to reimburse the non-public school $6,000 per student from the district coffers. The new law lowered district expenses, he said. But the district’s high carryovers continued to draw budget commission fire. In a later conversation, Armstrong said Cardinal’s goal of general fund carryover is about 40%, which is considered best practice, but the numbers exceed that goal for now.
Armstrong, who has been in the treasurer’s position for only a few months, said the administration has been working to mitigate the large carryover. “Cardinal has spent a lot of ESSER money already. We are trying to do everything we can,” he said, adding he has budgeted all the funds. The budget commission spent two days reviewing budgets with all five Geauga County school districts. While going through the Cardinal budget, they queried the district’s bond taken out in 2018 to make building improvements. Armstrong explained the district has refinanced the 15-year bond so it no longer encumbers all See Budget • Page 8
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