AUSTINTOWN, Ohio - The most significant staff cut in superintendent Vince Colaluca's tenure with Austintown Schools happened April 10 as 16 teachers and close to 30 other staff members were laid off.

The cuts came after an unexpected drop in enrollment specifically from open enrolled students. 

"We made adjustments looking at the GM situation. That was a major impact on our entire Valley, but hitting Austintown Schools very hard.  There's been adjustments on how we do open enrollment by the board of education which directly impacts the number of students we have in the district and our revenue," said Colaluca. 

The district, which hasn't seen levy operating money since 1996, is facing a 20% drop in open enrolled students; from 600 this current school year to 500 this coming school year. 

To make up for that 20% drop in open enrollment, Colaluca said there are multiple things the district is doing to try and attract students.

"We instituted a STEM program because we know a lot of students like to learn with their hands and it really meets the job market that's out here in Northeast Ohio. We continue to inform a lot of families of all the great programs we have. It's part of the reason why we have our own blended learning approach where students can have an online curriculum, but they have to come to school to receive that curriculum," said Colaluca. 

Colaluca said that the change in open enrollment dates was the decision of the board of education and said the board has openly voiced their disagreement on placing a levy on the ballot to generate revenue.