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Southmoreland board asked to reconsider outsourcing autistic support

By Rachel Basinger rbasinger@heraldstandard.Com 4 min read
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Rachel Basinger | Herald-Standard

The middle school cafeteria was filled at the recent Southmoreland School Board meeting after a tax increase and several cuts to programs and support personnel were proposed.

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Rachel Basinger | Herald-Standard

Nick Sosko, who will be a senior in the upcoming school year, asked directors not to cut the cross country, tennis and golf programs for next year and then suggested other possible cuts that could be made to save the district money.

Southmoreland School Board will meet this week to discuss outsourcing autistic support jobs after efforts to pass a budget were stalled last week when those opposed to the move urged directors to reconsider.

District administration proposed the move as part of over $1 million in cuts to balance the budget and ready it for final adoption.

But the cafeteria at the district’s middle school filled up quickly last Thursday, as autistic support staff and parents came with a plea that directors keep the support staff under the employment of the district.

To help close the gap of a $1.8 million deficit approved in the proposed budget, the administration suggested that the district move personal care assistants (PCA) from the district’s payroll and outsource them to Mission One, a business that provides educational staffing services, for a savings of $120,000.

Stephanie Bann, a personal care assistant at the primary care center, told the board that many of the students who have special needs have specifically moved into the Southmoreland School District for their “top notch autistic and special needs services.”

She told the board that each child requires different support and has different needs, and this is where the paraprofessionals come in

“As a PCA, I am assigned to one student, and my job cannot be performed without getting to know my student on a personal level. I learn his likes and his dislikes, and I know what triggers his outbursts,” Bann said. “I can tell what my student needs without him ever saying a word. I am here to push my student to succeed and help him overcome obstacles that would prevent that success. You will not get this kind of love and dedication with an outsourced paraprofessional.”

Superintendent John Molnar said the paraprofessionals could become employees with Mission One, and then the district would be able to come to an agreement with Mission One that would allow the district to request these same paraprofessionals on a long-term basis.

Director James Beistel made a motion last Thursday to take the cuts off the table that would outsource paraprofessionals, but it failed, with most directors saying they needed more time to discuss the issue before making that decision.

The discussion meeting is set for 7 p.m. Wednesday at the middle school cafeteria. A meeting to vote on the final budget will be held the next day at 7 p.m. at the middle school cafeteria.

Another suggested cut was to also move classroom assistants from the district’s payroll and outsource them to Mission One for a savings of over $188,000.

Both of these combined would make up over $300,000 in savings — about 16.5 percent of the district’s total deficit.

Last month, the board agreed to pass the proposed budget with revenues at $30,033,128 and expenditures at $31,926,627 — a $1.89 million deficit even with a tax increase built into it, which added nearly $315,000 in revenue to the total.

The tax increase in the proposed budget raises the millage rate for Westmoreland County residents from 74.61 mills to 77.15 mills and for Fayette County residents from 14.9982 mills to 15.5081 mills.

Other proposed cuts to help close $1.8 million budget deficit gap for 2018-19 include: the elimination of two teaching positions, the district’s cross country, golf and tennis sports programs, the elimination of two paraprofessional positions as well as two 3.5-hour custodial positions and any duplicate crossing guards four hours per day.

The proposed cuts also include the elimination of activity buses, the elimination of one student bus run and one coach each from the following sports programs: junior varsity basketball, seventh-grade basketball coach, middle school girls’ basketball, one middle school assistant football coach, one middle school boys’ soccer assistant coach, one middle school girls’ soccer assistant coach, one junior varsity softball coach, one middle school track assistant coach, one middle school assistant volleyball coach and one middle school wrestling assistant coach.

The cuts continue with the elimination of the accelerated reader program, the afterschool tutoring program, the tutoring transportation, district funding of adult commencement regalia, the commencement bagpiper, technology infrastructure upgrades, custodial supplies and the reduction of the district-wide textbook replacement allocation.

The Study Island program at the elementary school and middle school will be replaced with a free resource from the Pennsylvania Department of Education.

The district is also looking at selling the former Ruffsdale Elementary School property. Molnar said they are looking at two possible options: subdividing the 11-acre property and selling the building as one piece and the land as another, or selling the building and property together in its entirety.

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