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The Morning Call ArchivesCopyright 2010 The Morning Call
ID: 4613246
Publication Date: June 7, 2010Day: Monday
Page: A1
Edition: FIRST
Section: News
Type: Local
Dateline:
Column:
Length: long
Byline: Christopher Baxter OF THE MORNING CALL
Headline: Money is tight, but don't tell the state **School
districts can't
cut teachers for financial reasons, but find other ways.
When Easton Area Superintendent Susan McGinley read each of the
84
job cuts at a public meeting in April, she noted the district's
bleak financialfuture and called the decision "fiscally
responsible."
But when she asked the state to approve the cuts, which will
result inteachers and staffers losing their jobs, she said nothing
about the need to
stem the rising cost of contracted salaries and benefits.
She couldn't. That would be illegal.
A rule etched into the decades-old Pennsylvania School Code bars
districts
from laying off teachers for financial reasons. So McGinley told
the state
the 73 teaching jobs are being cut to "support our goal of
enhancedopportunities for improved student performance."
"There's a paradox there," said Kevin Deely, head of the Easton
teachersunion. "You can't cut for economic reasons, but obviously
this is an
economic reason."
Faced with some of the toughest budget decisions in recent
history,
Pennsylvania school districts are trimming jobs and programs to
balancetheir ledgers. But the argument they make to the state,
which must approvethe cuts, is often different from the one they
make to the public.
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Unable to cite budget troubles, dozens of school districts have
applied to
the Department of Education to change programs and eliminate
jobs for
one of the two reasons allowed under the School Code:
decliningenrollment, or the need to better meet state
guidelines.
And for the most part, they have been successful.
The state received 35 requests for the 2009-10 school year, and
has logged44 requests so far for the 2010-11 school year, said Leah
Harris,
spokeswoman for the department. Of the 79 applications, two have
been
denied, Harris said.
The few rejections suggest the state has been reluctant to
meddle in local
financial affairs, and that most districts that want to make
cuts can meetone of the School Code's benchmarks.
If this year's batch of requests is approved, hundreds of
teaching jobs willbe lost next school year, according to
applications submitted as of May 20.
The requests were obtained by The Morning Call under the state's
Right to
Know Law.
"It's absurd that school districts jump through legislative
hoops to pretend
they're not [cutting for financial reasons] when they really
are," said JamesBroussard, head of Citizens Against Higher Taxes, a
statewide advocacy
group.
Hundreds more secretaries, custodians, maintenance workers and
other
staff employees may also lose their jobs, which districts can
cut withoutstate approval and for financial reasons.
Most, like Thomas Persing, acting superintendent of Bethlehem
AreaSchool District, agree with the intent of the School Code
rules, meant to
keep school boards or superintendents from arbitrarily slashing
programs
and teachers.
But Persing and others argue the provisions are outdated.
Burdened by
unfunded state and federal mandates, which in many cases have
led to
more employees and higher costs, district officials argue they
should be
able to cut back when needed.
"When you put all that together, frankly, you're almost at wits'
end,"
Persing said. " You want to be legal, ethical, moral. But by the
same token,
in the current fiscal situation we're in, the Legislature is
going to have tolook at this seriously."
The Pennsylvania School Boards Association is lobbying for
districts to be
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able to lay off for financial reasons. Attorney Sean Fields said
most school
districts making cuts are motivated at least in part by
financial pressure.
The law's supporters, notably state and local teachers unions,
say it's an
important safeguard against school boards whose elected members
would
rather trash programs than raise taxes.
"Instead of trying to get around what the law says, we should be
looking athow we fund our schools," said Michael Crossey, vice
president of the
Pennsylvania State Education Association.
Easton's Deely said he is concerned about the effectiveness of
the rules.
"I'm hopeful the state will look more closely at a lot of these
requests this
year," he said.
Among the applications pending before the state:
The Mountain View School District in Susquehanna County
proposeseliminating 13 positions in English, music, business
technology, art,
Spanish, French, Latin, social studies and kindergarten.
The Newport School District in Perry County wants to drop 12
employees
in elementary education, high school English, music and
technology
education.
Locally, the Easton Area, Northampton Area, Bangor Area and
Bethlehem
Area school districts plan to reduce or eliminate programs for
acwombined loss of 174 jobs.
Most of the applications to the state make no reference to
financial
troubles, despite widespread agreement that Pennsylvania
districts face
some of the hardest economic times in recent history.
The Daniel Boone Area School District in Berks County wants
to
eliminate its full-day kindergarten program and return to
half-day classes,cutting five jobs, according to its application to
the state.
To meet the School Code, the district stated the changes would
result "in amore efficient and effective educational program." But
unlike most other
applications, it gives another reason.
"The school district is currently faced with a severe financial
crisis and a
substantial projected budget deficit," which led to a review of
all the
district's programs to find savings, the letter states.
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State approval is pending.
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