05/14/2026
This sounds like a GREAT IDEA!!
I bet the Vote at Buckeye would be 4-1
But let’s see!!
The treasurer said last night they will have to make cut backs
NO CUT BACKS to Staff
NO CUT BACKS in Student Services
Let’s CUT BACK the
Bloated Admin Retirement
Make there’s the same as the rest of
The Staff
After the levy failed last week, Rose Ioppolo, Mentor Board of Education brought forward a simple proposal at last night’s meeting: reduce the 28% taxpayer funded retirement contribution for administrators down to 14%, the same percentage teachers receive. Administrators would pay their own 14% and taxpayers would match it.
The state mandates that we pay the first 10 percent. The ask was for the admin to pay their fair half (14 percent ) instead of taxpayers funding all 28 percent.
That ONE change could have saved taxpayers an estimated $600K to $700K.
The vote? FAILED 1 to 4.
Maggie Cook, Dan Hardesty, Bob Haag, and Lauren Marchaza all voted AGAINST reducing the benefit.
Instead of debating the actual numbers, Dan resorted to personal attacks against Rose, claiming she lacked “business experience.” Maggie called it “insulting” that the proposal was even suggested.
What’s actually insulting?
Protecting bloated administrative retirement while increasing costs on students and families.
Instead of making even a partial reduction to excessive administrative retirement benefits, the district will be:
• Increasing 6th grade camp fees
• Increasing pay to play fees
• Increasing preschool fees
• Charging students a paper consumable fee
All for an estimated savings of roughly $250K.
The board majority refused to reduce a 28% taxpayer funded administrative retirement benefit, even by a smaller amount than 14%, which could have covered those savings without touching student fees at all.
Instead, the burden once again gets shifted onto families.
Meanwhile administrators continue receiving:
• Average salaries around $120K- some of the highest around
• 28% fully taxpayer funded retirement contributions averaging another $34K annually PER administrator (over 1.4 million yearly spent from our budget)
• Employee health benefit costs below the SERB average
• Growth in administration since 2018 while student enrollment has dropped by nearly 1,000 students
Would this one change solve every financial issue? No.
Would it show the community that leadership is willing to cut from the top before impacting students and families? Absolutely.
Rose said it best last night: this board majority seems tone deaf to the demands of the community. Even with the cuts the CFO mentioned last night (some I agree with), they will need to cut more. Well, this would be a great area to look into without directly impacting students and still maintaining the competitive edge with their high salaries and great benefits.
And according to discussion at the meeting, another levy attempt is likely headed for the November ballot, making this their THIRD attempt after the previous two failed.
Off year school board elections have consequences, and last night’s vote showed exactly why they matter.
Link to the full meeting below where you can see all the potential cuts. I will add that some cuts are wise decisions, but the vote last night against reducing the bloated admin retirement, is not.
