To balance the budget, administrators may reduce its support staff through furloughs, reduce the athletics and activities budgets, reduce curriculum-related purchases and reduce transportation expenses, they said.Upper St. Clair School District Narrows Budget Gap
It’s a problem that will also affect educational programming in the Upper St. Clair School District, administrators said.Upper St. Clair Projections Show Long-Term Challenges
The numbers are “staggering,” said Sharon Suritsky, assistant to the superintendent for curriculum and instruction/supervisor of special education.
Projections show:
--Athletics, arts and academics will face significant changes in programming and staff, according to district projections.
--Elective offerings will be reduced, eliminated and/or changed.
--Transportation would be affected, with increased student travel time and reduced or eliminated field trips.
--Class sizes would significantly increase.
--Instructional support and enrichment opportunities would be reduced, eliminated and/or see a significant change.
--Foreign language/international learning opportunities would be reduced, eliminated and/or significantly changed.
--Professional development and staff may also be reduced, eliminated and/or significantly changed.
I guess since people move to Mt. Lebanon "for the schools," we don't have this problem. Wake up, School Board! We're talking Upper St. Clair! They have been number one for six years in a row!!!!
The second story attached is the important one.
ReplyDelete"Upper St. Clair Projections Show Long-Term Challenges
District deficit expected to reach $12 million by 2015 and affect programming."
They're looking at $12 million shortfall by 2015 without a $113 million high school project!
Here in Mt. Lebaon-- hmmmm wonder how we're escaping the bullet?
Dick Saunders
Dick,
ReplyDeleteHere's my educated guess at an answer to your question :
1) "creative budgeting" over a period of years...attributable to underestimating revenues and overestimating expenditures, a/k/a *padding the budget*, and getting clueless SB's to sanction it. The end results are general or operating fund surpluses every year...anything (ie. surpluses) resulting in the undesignated fund balances exceeding 6% of operating expenses at year-end audit is transfered into either the (a)Capital Projects Fund, now $14 million,(b) a retirement pension fund kittie, or (c) a post retirement fund kittie for healthhcare, etc. known as OPEB. These are really *savings accounts* the District can utilize when they become restricted in millage increases because of Act 1 and/or political reasons (it's an election year folks !); coupled with,
2) the PA Dept. of Ed. (PDE )who are notorious for authorizing and issuing waivers, exemptions and exceptions to what they otherwise represent to our large body of ignorant Commonwealth taxpayers as being stringent regulations regarding all aspects of public education (eg. "it's for the children !"). The PDE and PlanCon missions are not to protect taxpayers interests, they are to facilitate the plans of school districts.
Our bullet dodging via "creative budgeting" and PDE largess will likely continue for the foreseeable future because taxpayers and the legislature will continue to tolerate it.
Bill Lewis
Unfortunately, the Superintendent tolerates a padded budget. He was a proponent of zero-based budgeting when he interviewed for his job. However, he just never got the job done. Hum! That resembles his performance on the Master Design Team.
ReplyDeleteSee what happens when you hire a rookie!
John Ewing