Superintendent Jim Barker to leave in August or April

Jim Martin

Jun. 30, 2009 (McClatchy-Tribune Regional News delivered by Newstex) -- Erie Schools Superintendent Jim Barker plans to leave the post he's held since 1993. The only question is when. Barker said his departure will come in either August of this year or April 2010.

Barker, who signed a contract to teach at Edinboro University of Pennsylvania in the fall, said he would discuss his plans with the board in the executive session following Monday night's regular meeting.

"First, we need to take care of the budget," he said. "I don't want this to be a distraction."

Leaving in August would enable him to take his tenure-track position in Edinboro's graduate program of educational leadership. Leaving in April would buy the district most of another year while allowing the district's next superintendent to shape his or her own budget.

Barker, 59, said he remains committed to leaving the district on solid footing.

"It's a great system with a lot of great employees," he said.

School Board President Gary Horton said he respects Barker's right to move on, despite Barker's contract to work until 2012.

"I liken it to Jim Brown, who left the Cleveland Browns in his prime," Horton said. "Dr. Barker has achieved a level of success in the Erie School District that is not comparable in northwestern Pennsylvania."

Horton made it clear, however, that he's hoping Barker will remain through April, giving the school board enough time to find his replacement.

"I plan to convey that message to him," Horton said.

As promised, the board's focus Monday was on the district's 2009-10 budget. The $136.7 million spending plan was approved 8-0, but not without some concerns that the process isn't over yet.

The budget, which holds the line on taxes for the fourth year in a row, is contingent upon passage of the state's budget. Gov. Ed Rendell is proposing a three-year increase of the personal income tax from 3.07 percent to 3.57 percent.

Without that increase, school districts across the state would likely be forced to raise local property taxes, Barker said.

The other alternative, Barker said, would be substantial cuts in the district's budget, which already has been trimmed by more than $2.5 million.

School Director John Harkins said he remains concerned about what will happen if Rendell and the General Assembly fail to reach an agreement.

JIM MARTIN can be reached at 870-1668 or by e-mail.

Newstex ID: KRTB-0058-36118151