Sto-Rox School District struggles to keep teachers and administrators
MCKEES ROCKS, Pa. (KDKA) — Officials in the Sto-Rox School District are struggling to keep teachers in the classroom and administrators in the buildings.
Sources tell KDKA-TV dozens of teachers and administrators have quit in the last six months. One source said teachers are frustrated with the lack of student discipline and says there is very little learning going on.
"We're not fully staffed as of right now," school board president Cameron Culliver said. "Unfortunately, we are the most underfunded district in the whole commonwealth."
Districts across our area are dealing with teacher shortages, mostly because the number of new teachers entering the field has significantly dropped from last year. But the Sto-Rox School District is having a teacher crisis for different reasons.
"You want folks that want to be here," Culliver said. "But also know that when you're coming here, it's not easy work."
A source within the district said since July, the district has had 22 teachers, three principles, five assistant principals, three guidance counselors, one athletic director, and two gym teachers quit for various reasons. Those numbers are in addition to the five board members who resigned in the last year.
On Wednesday, Culliver wouldn't confirm or deny these numbers. He did say some people retired or left for personal reasons.
The majority, he says, stepped down because they either didn't want to put in the hard work required in this district or because it's the most underfunded district in the state.
"You look not even 2 miles up the road and you got folks doing the same thing and getting paid a lot more and maybe doing a little less work," Culliver said.
KDKA-TV reached out to the district to get its take on these recent departures. It did not refute what Culliver said but added this in part:
"The Sto-Rox school district has historically had significant turnover, and that trend continues to affect the district. The district is in the early stages of a state mandated recovery plan due to past financial difficulties and he's facing systemic issues such as the lowest teacher salaries in Allegheny County. The district also serves students who have critical needs, while dealing with a near daily threat of violent crime."
Cullliver added that a lot of the students in the district are dealing with issues outside of school. So when they walk through the doors every day, the teachers are the ones having to deal with the fallout and that can be very taxing, he said.
