Teachers get support
JEFFERSON TWP — More than 60 people showed up at the South Butler School Board meeting Wednesday night in support of three staff members, who may have reduced hours or no jobs in the next school year.
As part of the budget process, the board is looking at altering three staffing positions that could save the district money as it faces a projected $1.8 million deficit in 2016-2017.
According to board President Nelda Burd, the district is looking at eliminating Doug Kamer's position as a high school art teacher and moving two full-time teachers to part-time positions, Mike Pelloni, primary school gym teacher, and Karen Schawl, middle school art teacher. While cutting Pelloni and Schawl's hours is being discussed, both would retain their benefits through the district, Burd said.
Monica Swaney, a senior at Knoch High School, began a petition online, under the hashtag #KeepKamer, and she spoke to the board in defense of Kamer and Schawl's positions Wednesday. Swaney referenced more than 1,700 students, parents and graduates who signed the petition.
“We are against the board's decision to remove Mr. Kamer as our teacher, coach and mentor,” she said. “We feel it is unfair to the current students as well as future students to minimize art classes and lessen the amount of teachers.
“In short, Doug Kamer is inspiring, creative, smart and important to the environment of Knoch High School. He has encouraged and inspired countless students and will affect so many more.”
Seventh grade English teacher Sean O'Donnell said that the employees the board is considering cutting truly care about the students and the district.
“These are not just teachers that we're losing,” O'Donnell said. “These are members of our community who care about members of our community and the kids in our schools. These are people who are going to have no problem going out and finding other jobs, and they're going to be able to find other kids to teach, but they want to be in this district and they're willing to be in this district and volunteer and help in this district because they're a part of this district. And those are the people that we're saying, 'go ahead and go.'”
Another high school student, Ethan Sloane, told the board that cutting the involvement of other teachers will only hurt the students, using his own experience with Pelloni, Kamer and Schawl.
“The job field today is more diverse and specific than it was 20 years ago, and we need to be more well-rounded, and to keep these doors open to us, we have to have people in the art department and great people like Coach (Pelloni),” Sloane said, surrounded by a group of fellow baseball players. Sloane is on the junior varsity baseball team, which Pelloni coaches.
“In your opening lines, you said 'our precious children' so don't you think we should give us the best chance to succeed and thrive in our future?” Sloane asked the board.
After speaking about how he has grown in art classes through Schawl and Kamer's teaching, Sloane told the board, “I don't think you can put a price tag on seeing the world a different way.”
According to Superintendent David Zupsic, the district would save $175,000 by eliminating Kamer's position and cutting Pelloni and Schawl to part-time positions.
Tim Hull and Troy McCurdy, both residents, then requested the board raise taxes before cutting the positions.
“We haven't seen a tax increase in this district in, I don't know how many years, four years,” Hull, who has a wife who teaches and children in the district, said. “And I haven't heard of that as being an option. If that's something you can do to bridge the gap between the deficit, I would encourage you to do that.”
Troy McCurdy, who teaches in the Pine-Richland School District and who has children in South Butler, told the board that teachers act as mentors, counselors and other roles that are often forgotten.“Teachers take on different roles now, and I see what Mike Pelloni does in that primary school and he wears all those hats for these kids,” McCurdy said. “If (keeping the teachers here) takes raising my taxes, please do so, please.”The board was also presented with preliminary budget options for the 2016-2017 school year by Paul Slomer, director of business affairs, including options that account for a property tax increase.Revenue is projected about $34.5 million, with $20 million coming from local revenue. Of that local revenue, property taxes account for about $15.2 million, Slomer said.The district has also projected slightly higher numbers for state funding of about $14 million annually.While total revenue is up about 1.7 percent, expenditures have increased to $36.5 million, Slomer said. For 2016-2017, salary and benefits will account for 66 percent of the budget, with benefits alone increasing by $900,000, he said.The district's cost to the state for the Pennsylvania State Employees' Retirement System will increase $870,000 in the next school year, bringing the school's state-mandated payment up to $4.3 million, Slomer said, calling that cost “a significant burden” that the school cannot change. While the state will reimburse the district for about half of the payment, the district will still pay a net of $2.2 million.The district is estimating a deficit of $1.4 to $1.8 million, depending on if or how much taxes increase.Currently, the district's real estate tax rate is at 93.275 mills, and the most that could increase, by state mandate, is 2.798 mills, Slomer said. A one-mill tax increase would generate another $169,000 for the district, and the maximum increase would generate $473,000, Slomer said.A one-mill increase would be a $21 per year increase for the average taxpayer, and the maximum tax increase would be a $60 per year increase, he said.If taxes are raised by one mill, the district would anticipate a $1.5 million deficit, Slomer said. At the maximum tax increase, that deficit would still be at $1.4 million.A press release passed at the meeting said, “...the fund balance would be used to make up the remaining budget deficit,” and Slomer said that with no tax increase, the district would have an estimated $4.1 million fund balance after the 2016-2017 school year. The amount that is currently available in the district's reserve fund was not available.“South Butler plans to not replace two retiring positions, change two teaching positions to part-time and furlough one teacher in 2016-2017,” the press release said.Zupsic stressed that the district remains cognizant of what is best for the students, while citing a drop in student enrollment of nearly 500 students since 2002 in the press release.Zupsic said that if the high school drops to one art teacher, all the requested programs from students will still be offered, including Art I, AP Art History, Art of Painting, Sculpting, 3-Dimensional Modeling, Graphic Novel and Creative Drawing.Pelloni said the support has been incredible. He has even received letters and drawings from his primary school students, he said.“I'm staying optimistic that the board will make a solid decision based on what the community wants and should have,” Pelloni said Wednesday night.The board is expected to vote on the preliminary budget at 7 p.m. Wednesday at the library of Knoch Middle School, 754 Dinnerbell Road.The budget's final vote will be in early June as the district is required to pass a budget by June 30.
