Teacher Cuts Certain in Preliminary School Budget

The Grim Reaper will be striking the Easton Area School District again next year.

Despite tax hikes and staff cuts over the past few years, there will be more slashing and thrashing when the Easton Area School District's 2013-2014 preliminary budget is approved.

That approval is expected at next Tuesday's school board meeting. The board heard three staff cut/tax hike options during a two-hour worksession Tuesday.

The plan that Schools Superintendent Susan McGinley and Business Administrator Michael Simonetta outlined that won't cut school programs instead calls for a 2.1 percent tax hike and cutting 23 positions (12 professional, seven support, one assistant superintendent and three Act 93 posts.)

That plan, which would also use $500,000 from surplus, would help close a $4.2 million budget gap.

A second option, to get to a 1.7 percent tax hike, would mean another letting go six more staffers (two professionals and four support members.)

The third option, one that McGinley says is really grim, would mean no tax hike.

But getting there would cost an additional 13 jobs—a total then of 40—and eliminating middle school sports and the instrumental music program from the school district.

"I'm not recommending a zero percent tax increase," McGinley said. "It would curtail programs. This is severe."

The 2.1 percent tax increase would mean the owner of a home assessed at $60,000 would pay $68 more in property taxes and 1.7 percent would equal $56 more per year.

Board Vice President William Rider said the children are suffering.

"As we continue to break this down, we continue to cut staff. We already cut full-day kindergarten and I still can't believe we did that," Rider said. "We're losing our kids."

Rider added that the school district wasn't providing an "effective education" for children by constantly cutting teachers.

Last year the district cut 102 positions, of which 49 were teachers, to balance the budget, but the gap isn't as large this year as last year, Simonetta said.

"We have to figure out what we have to do Tuesday," Simonetta said.

The board is expected to adopt the preliminary budget on April 16 with final approval on May 14. The district has until June 30 to turn its budget into the state.