Teaching Staff Cuts Proposed in Mt. Pleasant Schools Budget
The proposed $58.95 million Mount Pleasant School District has called for more than three full-time equivalent teaching positions to be cut districtwide as administrators work to adhere to the tax cap but maintain programs.
Superintendent of Schools Dr. Susan Guiney’s preliminary 2017-18 budget includes a tax levy increase of 1.28 percent and a tax rate hike of 1.31 percent. Spending would rise by just $19,000 over the current year’s $58.93 million budget.
Total teaching staff reductions would be the equivalent of 3.6 full-time positions, Guiney said.
The cuts and additions varied among the district’s grade levels, partially reflecting enrollment changes. There would be 2.5 staff positions, which includes teachers, aides and teacher’s assistants, added at the regular education elementary level while there would be a reduction of 3.3 full-time equivalent positions for the middle school and high school. One full-time special education teacher position at the elementary school level would be added and 3.8 positions would be cut in special education positions at the secondary level.
“The choices were difficult for sure,” Guiney said.
Board of Education President Christopher Pinchiaroli slammed the state property tax cap, calling it “unfair and anti-student.” As a result of the financial hardships caused by the cap, he said some school districts may be forced to merge.
Last week’s meeting focused on the instructional portion of next year’s proposed spending plan, which comprises about 76 percent of spending. Areas included in the instructional portion of the budget are teachers’ salaries and benefits, instructional administration, supplies, equipment, textbooks, special education programs, afterschool activities including sports, staff development and student transportation.
Director of Business Administration Andrew Lennon said under the state formula the district’s tax cap for next year is 1.28 percent. Despite the modest spending increase, the district is at the cap ceiling of $51,406,990, up $649,000 over the current year.
Lennon said several factors influenced the proposed teacher additions and reductions, most notably enrollment. For example, two additional elementary-level teachers are sought because second-grade enrollment will jump by 36 students and fifth-grade enrollment will increase 31 students over this year.
But there is a 1.8-teacher reduction for Westlake High School because of fewer students, he said.
A major concern expressed by some parents last week was the elimination of a full-time math support teacher at Hawthorne Elementary School and adding a teachers assistant. Parents said the Response to Intervention (RTI) elementary-level program to assist struggling students should not lose a teacher.
Parent Jessica Miceli said RTI helped her daughter acquire a solid foundation in elementary level math after she initially struggled.
Another parent, Joe Rizzo, also said his son’s RTI teachers helped him and a teachers assistant would be unable to provide that same level of instruction to students who toil.
Director of Curriculum and Instructional Services Mary Ellis told parents that administrators had unappetizing choices to make.
“None of these decisions were made easily or lightly,” Ellis said.
Residents will vote on the 2017-18 budget on Tuesday, May 16.
