Nazareth Area OKs more staffing cuts

FROM THE MORNING CALL

Still struggling to balance its budget, Nazareth Area School District plans to cut more support staffers even as property tax revenues jumped unexpectedly.

Earlier this week, directors agreed to eliminate four high school hall monitors, reduce a middle school hall monitor from full time to part time, leave two retiring custodians' positions unfilled and shut down the district's central copying center, saving a total of $274,000.

At the same time, April property tax reassessments netted the district a much-needed $281,000. Put those together, and Nazareth's balance sheet has improved by more than $550,000, bringing the deficit below half a million dollars.

Yes, teachers will now have to patrol the halls and make their own copies, Superintendent Victor Lesky said. But that's a price he's prepared to pay for cost savings.

"Obviously, it will be more work, more planning, more preparation," he said. "I believe the teachers will step up."

Lesky has also accepted a wage freeze for the second year in a row, setting an example he hopes the rest of the staff will follow. Administrators have offered to reduce their yearly raise from 3.75 percent to 1.7 percent, a measure the board has yet to approve. No other unit, including the teachers union, has broached the subject of pay freezes.

Earlier this month, the district announced plans to eliminate seven positions and the drivers' education program, prompting over a hundred residents to sign a petition begging the district to take a light hand in trimming the budget. Lesky has sought state authorization to raise taxes by as much as 2.5 percent, but school directors have asked him to hold the line at 1.7 percent.

As the district looks for more cuts, a group calling itself Citizens Seeking Continuation of Quality Education has presented a petition urging it not to sacrifice education, but to raise taxes to keep class sizes small and maintain educational standards.

They're countered by the Concerned Citizens of Nazareth Area School District, a no-tax-increase group that's called for increased fiscal accountability from the school board. Spearheaded by school board candidate Chris Miller, they've called for a flat tax rate, even if it means deeper cuts for the district.

http://www.mcall.com/news/local/nazareth/mc-nazareth-budget-cuts-20110422,0,4769315.story