CASD prepares for staff changes
CONNELLSVILLE – The start of the school year in the Connellsville Area School District will reflect a combination of consolidating, reassigning and eliminating various teaching, maintenance and administrative positions as the school board still wrangles with budget constraints. Several key administrators agreed to take on dual roles after the positions were vacated by retirements.
The school board voted in June against a tax increase forcing the district to withdraw from its fund equity in order to balance a $905,145 deficit.
“We still have some positions that we could fill, but are trying to make due with what we have to save money,” said James Duncan, superintendent.
Over the last three months, the school board agreed to cut 40.5 positions through attrition, but only one, a warehouse manager at the administrative level, was terminated.
According to Karen Marko, human resources director, the two remaining changes included having Robin Martin, elementary principal at Springfield Township also serve in the same position at Clifford N. Pritts Elementary School following the resignation of Carol Lynn.
Bill Wilson, director of federal programs will also take on the role of director of elementary education, formerly held by Wanda Reynolds, who retired.
In addition to serving as superintendent, Duncan said he would work with Robert McLuckey, who stepped down from his position as former head high school principal to serve as director of secondary curriculum.
Dr. Tammy Duncan replaced McLuckey.
“Even though the board stepped up to the plate to make cuts to try and balance the budget, it made a minimal impact to help balance the staff that we had,” said Marko.
While the district started out with five positions in the special education department, Marko said it retained the positions of supervisor and assistant supervisor after taking them over and severing that contract with the Intermediate Unit 1.
In addition, the district eliminated two positions that were reassigned by the I.U. to other school districts while one remained vacant from last year.
“By taking over some of the I.U. classes, we were able to save hiring some support positions that we would have had and we’re managing those with our current staff,” added Marko.
According to Marko, the budget also impacted the district’s decision to refrain from hiring four other I.U. positions she identified as paraprofessionals such as aides and monitors.
Marko added the district is also looking at the possibility of taking over another special education classroom from the I.U. next year.
At the elementary level, Marko said 13 teaching positions vacated by retirements weren’t filled, while one I.U. classroom was closed.
Duncan said earlier that he anticipates other staff members to retire and some positions not to be filled resulting in larger classrooms across the board.
Marko noted that Zachariah Connell took the largest hit with the elimination of three staffing positions, including the district’s last Instructional Support Teacher that was reassigned to the sixth grade.
Connellsville Township and Springfield Township will each operate without 2.5 positions, Dunbar Borough, Dunbar Township and Southside one position each and Clifford Pritts and Bullskin, a half of a position each.
In addition to those cuts, Marko said 10.5 positions were eliminated at the secondary level that included 7.5 at the senior high school consisting of teachers of physical education, English, business, industrial technology, computer science/biology, special education and TEACH program.
A special populations coordinator position was slashed at the vo-tech previously subsidized through the Perkins program.
“In some cases we had more teachers for students than what was needed for the standard…so some of these were retirements and some of them just realigning,” said Marko.
District-wide, Marko said a part-time music position that carried the same status at the senior high and elementary was removed as well as a nursing position that was reassigned to another building.
Aside from eliminating four of the contracted I.U.’s paraprofessionals, Marko said the district did away with 4.5 positions that included a writing lab at the senior high and three elementary cafeteria staff at Dunbar Borough, Dunbar Township and Zach Connell.
Marko added that a part-time classroom aide position at Springfield Township was converted to full-time as part of a consolidation.
“We’re trying to keep from hiring additional staff,” Duncan added.
But that didn’t happen last month, when the board hired a secondary math teacher, two secondary science teachers and an elementary librarian, all positions Duncan and Marko both deemed necessary.
Prior to that decision, the board agreed to recall 23 of the remaining 27 Connellsville Area Education Association bargaining unit employees on the professional employee’s seniority list furloughed in March and bring back the four not included as full-time substitutes. Marko said they would still receive the same pay and benefits that they previously held as a teacher.
The board also agreed to hire an elementary librarian for Dunbar Township and Dunbar Borough schools following the transfer of the former librarian to Junior High West.
A secondary math teacher and two junior high science teachers will also join the staff this year.
Marko said the district examined the positions closely and determined they were necessary with the number of eliminations at the high school.
Marko noted that a speech language pathologist was also reassigned to work primarily at the secondary level. A custodian position in the district’s building and grounds department was eliminated.
Even with the shuffling, Marko said there are still some positions that need to be filled before school starts in order for the district to function and meet the needs of its students.