White Hat Cuts, Realigns Its Staff
By Doug Oplinger and Dennis J. Will, The Akron Beacon Journal, Ohio
Nov. 30–White Hat Management, the national charter-school management company based in downtown Akron, has eliminated nearly 10 percent of its 1,800 workers in the last few weeks in a realignment of staffing, according to President and Chief Executive Mark Thimmig.
About 30 of the company’s nearly 350 workers in the downtown headquarters were affected, he said.
White Hat, founded by Akron entrepreneur David Brennan, is one of the nation’s largest operators of charter schools, with 51 alternative high schools, Internet-based schools and traditional schools in six states.
Thimmig said that as the company reviewed fall enrollment, there was overstaffing in some areas.
“We wanted to make sure we have the right number of teachers for the number of students enrolled in the schools,” he said.
Some middle managers also were eliminated, “which gave me a greater opportunity to work directly with principals,” Thimmig said.
In the past 18 months, White Hat has launched a number of businesses that also were affected.
Among them are tutoring outlets called Brilliant Learning Centers, federally funded NCLB Tutors, online services for home schoolers, iQ Digital video production and a depository of education information called Lydia Learn.
There were layoffs in most of those organizations, and the growth plans for Brilliant and NCLB were made more conservative, Thimmig said.
“We took a look at what we have in employment and needs, and felt that we could consolidate certain responsibilities,” he said.
Thimmig said iQ Digital, which has a large video production facility in Akron, the home-schooling services and school enrollment continue to grow. He said White Hat wants to “make sure we’re not creating a bureaucracy.”
The cuts had a ripple effect at one of White Hat’s largest contractors, SchoolOne, with offices in Elyria and Akron.
Mikki Tubbs, chief executive of SchoolOne, which provides software development and other technology services, said her company eliminated four of 96 employees.
She called it a routine adjustment as the company evaluates the amount of business it will do with 26 clients in the next year.
By Doug Oplinger and Dennis J. Willard
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