Staff cuts still irk some Bethel Park parents
Backlash over staffing cuts continued at the Bethel Park School Board meeting Sept. 26.
In recent years, the board has been reducing the number of teachers and other staff through attrition. Some parents argue these cuts have started to affect the quality of education.
“Cutting staff is not the way to make us number one,” said resident Darren McGregor, referring to how Bethel Park stacks up against other suburban Pittsburgh school districts.
Several school board members defended the staff reductions, saying those decisions were necessary due to declining enrollment. The student population dropped by about 21 percent compared to 15 years ago, said board President Donna Cook.
Director Ron Werkmeister said students should always be the board’s top priority, but officials must also keep an eye on spending.
“Our job as the school board is to look at the whole picture,” he said. “Keeping the schools strong and the tax burden reasonable is crucial.”
Some parents said the reduced number of teachers has led to scheduling problems at the high school. School officials said there were some problems at the start of the school year, but most have been resolved. All students are receiving their core classes, though some may not have been able to take certain electives, said Superintendent Joseph Pasquerilla.
Bethel Park has largely avoided layoffs in its efforts to reduce staff, but whenever a teacher, administrator or other staff member resigns or retires, school officials evaluate whether that position could be eliminated or if those responsibilities could be covered by other employees.
Director Pam Dobos opposed many of the moves to eliminate positions, but she said some of the chaos associated with those decisions could have been avoided with better planning.
“It’s evident we had a rough start to the school year,” she said.
Resident Gus Oakley praised Dobos for her commitment to the students. He said the board made many bad personnel decisions and some of those moves may end up costing the district a lot of money if the teachers’ union decides to fight them.
Also during the meeting:
• The board approved an Act 93 agreement that covers several administrators and will be effective through June 30. The building principals, assistant to the superintendent, technology director, special education directors and curriculum coordinator will receive a $1,500 raise.
• Agreed to spend $7,406 on six new 3-D printers from Aleph Objects for Independence Middle School. These printers will replace older models that are currently in use at the school. Independence Middle School will also receive four new cafeteria tables, since the board approved the $5,684 purchase from Shiffler Equipment.
• Approved a sabbatical for Janet O’Rourke, assistant to the superintendent, so that she may complete her doctoral work. Her leave will start Jan. 16 and continue through the first day of the second semester of the 2018-19 school year.
• Approved the hiring of five part-time special education paraprofessionals, one part-time health services nurse, a part-time instructional aide, a part-time security guard and a bus driver. School officials are still recruiting for some of those positions, but Pasquerilla asked the board for permission to hire candidates and have the board retroactively approve those employees, so that those employees can start immediately.
• Approved a high school course, “Website Design and Development,” which will be offered as a College in the High School course next school year. The course will be affiliated with the University of Pittsburgh.