Albert Gallatin Area School District to discuss cutting dozens of positions at board meeting

A sweeping list of cuts inside the Albert Gallatin School District could eliminate dozens of jobs, including teachers, aides, and support staff.

The proposal is ahead of a special meeting and could directly impact classrooms next school year. These cuts could affect nearly every level of the district.

The superintendent says a plan to prevent cuts like this was on the table years ago, but was never approved.

"The only way to really balance the budget is, unfortunately, to eliminate positions," superintendent Christoper Pegg said.

The agenda shows cuts to the following positions:

• Elementary grade-level teachers
• Middle school math and English Language Arts teachers
• A high school math teacher and learning support
• Five intervention specialists
• Other staff who keep the district's schools operational

"It's where we're at. We're going to try to do the best we can with the resources we have to continue to provide a quality education to our kids," Pegg said.

Those resources are shrinking.

Superintendent Pegg says that's driven by declining enrollment, and this is now the third straight year they've had to dip into other funds to balance the budget.

"If you can't pass a balanced budget, then basically a district would enter into a receivership with the state where the state takes control, and you have to do what the state tells you you have to do."

But this development didn't come out of nowhere.

Pegg says back in 2018, he pushed a plan to realign the district, specifically to avoid growing class sizes and prevent cuts like this.

"I have recommended, repeatedly, over the years, that we need to address that by looking into consolidating some of our schools," Pegg said.

Now, the district is facing the very scenario Pegg says he was trying to avoid.

"I rolled out a plan for our district that was huge," Pegg said. "That would have left us with three elementary centers and one middle/senior high school. That would have saved probably $4.5 million a year."

A special meeting is planned for Wednesday night, and parents are expected to speak out.