Facing a multi-million dollar deficit, Chartiers Valley School District School Board votes to cut jobs
The Chartiers Valley School District is currently facing a financial crisis and now said it must slash jobs with the superintendent saying that the district is facing a $9 million budget deficit.
The district has raised taxes twice recently, first in 2018 and then again in 2023. Now, in order to avoid a third tax hike, the district said it has to cut jobs.
Those cuts could include 20 teachers, three administrative staff employees, and one percent of education support professionals, among others.
The school board said it's already implemented other cost-saving measures such as curtailing certain contracts as well as combining positions but they aren't enough.
At tonight's meeting, furloughs are on the table with Superintendent Daniel Castagna saying, all totaled, the district is expected to cut spending by $7.5 million. However, union representatives are concerned about the impact that staff cuts will have on education.
"They're proposing cuts to teachers, administrative assistants' staff, and this is really the kind of impact that would not only affect the day-to-day operations in the district, but what kind of negative impacts will this have on the students?" Asked PSEA Pittsburgh Office's Region Advocacy Coordinator Annie Briscoe. "We're concerned for the students, the class sizes are already huge. We're concerned about the members' education."
Superintendent Castagna said the proposed budget holds the line on taxes while focusing on core subjects, more mental health services, and keeps programs exclusive to Chartiers Valley like the student-run coffee shop.
The American Federation of Teachers told KDKA that in addition to the proposed furloughs, 25 staff members in the district are signed up for an early retirement incentive.
"This is more than 10% of the district that will be cut and while they are reclassifying positions this has put everybody in a bad situation," said AFT Staff Representative Walter Michalski.
"This is a time when there's a severe shortage across the state of Pennsylvania for education, teacher support professionals, and to see a district considering cutting and reducing their staff by such magnitude, it does show a level of concern," added Briscoe.
The total cost savings from the furloughs is expected to be close to $3 million.
Chartiers Valley School Board votes to cut jobs
The school board vote on Tuesday night was 6 to 3 in favor and the auditorium was packed and loud. One by one, parents and students voiced their opposition to the proposed cuts.
"You have made it clear that your priorities do not lie with the students in this district," one parent said.
The superintendent said the jobs are being cut to avoid raising taxes for the third time since 2018 and although the board voted to cut 31 teaching jobs, it also approved creating more than a dozen, meaning many of whom will now teach more than one subject.
"This budget does not raise taxes," Castagna said. "It holds the line on taxes but it does make significant progress and some elimination. It's the only way we can present a budget to the state that is positive. Yes, these are aggressive recommendations for cuts, but it has to happen. There is no other alternative."
"You saw those parents in there, the students in there, the taxpayers in there," said Michalski. "They understand the economics of it, but they really see this as a death spiral for the district. You keep increasing those class sizes, you keep cutting the programs that make the district special, people are not going to want to move into this district."
Meanwhile, a student also questioned the board tonight about an email sent out to teachers that threatened discipline for teachers who recruited students to come to the meeting.
Castagna denied that the email was ever sent or even existed.