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NEWTON FALLS -- The Newton Falls Board of Education has named Justin Christopher as the interim superintendent / superintendent pro temporare effective May 19 as Rocco Adduci plans to retire July 31.
The board hired Christopher through July 31, 2023, at an annual salary of $90,000 to be pro-rated for the time period of May 19 through July 31, 2022.
Christopher most recently served as the district's elementary and middle school principal and will be the interim superintendent until Aug. 1.
Adduci has served for the past two years as superintendent. He also has served as a superintendent in Niles and Weathersfield.
Christopher said he looks forward to working with the district's leadership team, teaching staff to review student academic success data and continue to move the district forward.
He said his focus will be on student success and academic achievement. Christopher served as a principal with Windham schools from 2019 to 2021 and previously at Newton Falls Junior High from 2018 to 2019. He also worked as a teacher for 12 years in Tallmadge.
With Christopher as the new interim superintendent, Robert Bauman, assistant high school principal, will serve as the K-5 principal until end of school year.
LOAN PAYBACK
The board also approved a resolution to pay back the $3.1 million loan that was taken out in November for the athletic complex, which has been put on hold.
Board members said there was support for the complex and it remains a good idea, and the baseball field itself has been something discussed for several years.
They said the project needed to be done by planning / design first in a collaborative manner with a variety of community stakeholders and then a robust fundraising plan should be in place so that financial obligations are met, limiting the expense exposure to the general fund and taxpayers.
Treasurer Terry Armstrong said he discussed with the board what the five-year financial forecast would look like if the district went forward with the loan and what it would look like if the district did not.
He said the terms of the loan would not allow an early payback until December of 2024 with a $90,000 penalty to do so. The first loan payment was coming due this December and no funds have been raised to offset the loan, so the payment would have to come from the general fund.
"This would put great financial pressure on the district, leading to a negative carryover balance by 2026 of nearly $1 million," he said.
Armstrong said the other model without keeping the loan maintained a positive carryover balance throughout the five-year forecast with an ending projected carryover balance in 2026 of $1,365,222.
He said the bank has offered the district an opportunity to pay back the loan at a fee of $10,000 plus interest incurred.
"The district will continue to strive to increase its fiscal health to achieve a stronger carryover balance moving forward," Armstrong said.
The district has spent $85,000 on architecture and legal fees for the project with further financial commitments for architecture and legal fees, Armstrong said.