Parkland Cuts $6.4 Million From Budget; Layoffs Likely

Parkland School District administrators are recommending the elimination of 60 staff and teaching positions, many through retirements and resignations, and program cuts for the 2011-2012 school year as a way to offset revenue losses due to the state’s proposed budget and local sources.

At a day-long budget seminar with the school board on Friday, administrators recommended $6.4 million in cuts, including the elimination of three elementary teacher positions, six high school teacher positions and one administrator, all through attrition. 

Among the other cuts, administrators recommended the elimination of 17 full-time aides in the district remedial programs: eight in the elementary schools and all nine full-time aide positions in the middle schools. However, Assistant Superintendent Richard Sniscak said four of those middle school aides would be offered part-time work. 

At the elementary level, two aides will remain at each school, and staff will utilize the enrichment sessions to further help students. Sniscak said that at the middle schools, the program will be restructured by transferring a professional staff member to work at both schools, using reading specialists and the part-time aides.

Administrators also recommended eliminating 10 part-time custodian positions, a head cook and six bus drivers, and seven full-time equivalent positions in food and school services. Though layoffs are likely, they said retirements and resignations could reduce the number.

The proposed cuts brought school director Roberta Marcus to tears by the end of the eight-hour session. Board members expressed concerns about the program cuts, particularly in serving students with remedial needs, and using reserves to balance the budget.

"We're pleased we're not coming to you today and saying, 'we've got to cut the whole program,' " said Superintendent Louise Donohue, in addressing board members' concerns. 

She said cuts were being made across areas. "We're sharing the pain," she said. 

More than once she told board members, who seemed to question assurances that program quality would be maintained in meeting students' remedial needs, "We don't want to sugarcoat it."  She said services would be affected, but ultimately added, "Our kids will be OK, we will get through this."

Administration salaries were not discussed during the budget seminar.

Board member David M. Kennedy said afterward that the district needs to look at salaries as a way to offset the revenue losses and to mitigate a tax increase.

He said he proposed that administrators' salaries be frozen for the 2011-2012 school year and that the last year of the teachers' contract be re-opened to negotiate a 1.4 percent salary increase instead of the designated 4.9 percent increase for the final year.

When asked about the possibility of freezing administrator salaries, Sniscak said, "I think everything's on the table."  

Regarding the teachers' contract, both Sniscak and Donohue said that union officials had not approached them about reopening the final year of the contract.  Donohue said the union is focused on the possibility of a negotiating an "early bird" contract before the current one expires that would include a pay freeze for at least the first year.

In remarks, Sniscak, who will take over as superintendent in July following Donohue's retirement, talked about the financial challenges beyond the next school year and addressed union negotiations.  "We will need salary concessions in future contracts," he said.

He also stressed a need to work with legislators for equitable school funding, as well as creative thinking to bridge funding gaps.

Even before Gov. Tom Corbett’s proposed state budget forced the Parkland School District to make deep cuts in their preliminary budget for next year, district officials were eyeing nearly $4.8 million in proposed spending cuts to offset anticipated losses in revenue. Those included the elimination of the teaching positions as well as the elimination of four academic coaches for teachers at the middle school. 

However, according to information presented at the day-long seminar, Corbett's proposed state budget, which calls for dramatic -- and unexpected -- cuts in charter school and social security reimbursements, forced administrators to recommend another $1.63 million in cuts.

“Did we expect cuts? Of course. This deep? No way,”  said board President Jayne Bartlett as she opened the seminar at the district administration building.

Administrators announced earlier this week that they will eliminate the district’s behind-the-wheel driver training program, which they say will save nearly $500,000. The district will continue to provide classroom instruction, but students who want behind-the-wheel instruction will have to pay $285 for training through the Carbon Lehigh Intermediate Unit 21.

Administrators also proposed eliminating one of two late bus runs for students who stay after school to participate in activities, at a projected savings of $45,000. Officials said the late bus would run at 5 p.m., instead of 4:45 p.m. and 5:15 p.m. 

Administrators also proposed cutting classroom supplies by $100,000 but they anticipated that the parent-teacher organizations would help with classroom-specific supplies. Officials also said they negotiated better prices on textbooks to affect savings. 

Also, administrators proposed breaking a contract for services for suspended students, and instead, providing those services for those students in-house, at a savings of $111,000. The district would transfer a department supervisor from the high school to oversee that program. Officials said the district will be able to duplicate, as well as enhance, counseling services for those troubled students.

The district is only allowed by law to raise taxes by 1.4 percent, but it received permission, or special exceptions, that would allow it to raise taxes 3.88 percent. 

Even before Corbett's proposed budget was announced, officials were struggling with millions in dollars of lost revenue from lower interest earnings, reduced property assessments in the district and lost federal subsidies.