Nazareth Area School District proposes cuts to teaching, staff positions, services

FROM THE EXPRESS TIMES

Nazareth Area School District Superintendent Victor Lesky has recommended eliminating seven teachers, a custodian and other services in order to balance next year’s school budget.

Lesky also said the district is talking to its unions to see if teachers, custodians and staff will take a one-year salary freeze as recommended by Gov. Tom Corbett.

After learning state revenue reductions proposed by Corbett would equal about $1.16 million, the district was faced with a funding deficit of more than $2 million.

The superintendent proposed the $812,841 in cuts to the proposed $68.8 million 2011-12 school spending plan at Monday’s school board meeting.

A proposed 2.5 property tax increase — if approved by the board — means the owner of a property assessed at a district average of $67,400 would pay $78.86 more in taxes next year. The board is expected to finalize its budget sometime next month.
Is cutting teaching positions a reasonable method for school districts to control costs?

In a presentation before about 10 people, Lesky recommended cutting two district special education teachers to save $220,000; two technology specialists to save $210,000; two driver education program teachers to save $175,000; and a family consumer science teacher to save $110,000.

Also recommended is eliminating a full-time custodian to save $59,376 and a school calendar mailed out to residents to save $11,000. Instead, the school calendar would be updated regularly and available on the district’s website, Lesky said.

Lesky recommended another $100,000 in cuts to the facilities budget, $100,000 to the technology budget, $100,000 to the transportation budget and $100,000 in a fund for conferences, travel and substitutes, among other reductions.

That left the district with a deficit just over $1 million with a proposed 1.7-percent tax increase, Lesky said.

If the district were to add back in $650,000 in a capital reserve transfer for facilities and technology, the deficit would stand at $381,030, he said.

Lesky said the board has discussed getting the tax increase down to zero.

“We do have plans that would eliminate the $381,000,” Lesky said. “We don’t have a full option for the entire $650,000 along with that.”

Lesky said the district also is awaiting the performance of its investment portfolio and should know the county real estate figures by April 1. He then could make another presentation, he said.

Prior to the budget presentation, Bushkill Township resident Chris Miller, who is running for school board and spearheaded the taxpayer watchdog group Concerned Citizens of Nazareth Area School District, urged the board to find cost savings by increasing its class sizes.

He said benefits and salaries of district staff and teachers make up about 63 percent of the preliminary school budget.

“Ladies and gentlemen, if this was a business, you would be failing,” Miller said.

Lesky said teachers and staff will pay a percentage per year over a four-year time frame into a new health care benefits package to save costs.

In the first year, they would pay 12 1/2 percent; the next year, 25 percent, the third year, 37 1/2 percent; and in the fourth year, 50 percent.

Upper Nazareth Township resident Becky Bartlett, a mother of a student at Nazareth Area Intermediate School, said she is against large class sizes and feels teachers and staff members need to be fully compensated as professionals.

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