The Gateway School Board voted Monday to eliminate nine teaching positions from next year's budget as district officials wrestle with a revenue shortfall that persists despite a proposed increase in the property-tax rate.
Next year's proposed budget is $71.6 million. Along with a 0.4345-of-a-mill increase in the tax rate, the proposal calls for using $1.5 million in reserve funds to cover a revenue shortfall — an expense gap contained in the budget despite cutting to teachers and other staff.
The spending plan also counts on about $990,000 from a property-tax hike and $191,000 in additional state revenue.
The board is expected to vote on the final budget Wednesday.
Board member Jan Rawson said she didn't want to rely on reserve funds to balance the budget for a third year in a row.
“For us to approve this budget, it's going to leave us nothing in the fund balance next year. So next year, there are going to be big-time problems because you're not even going to have the fund balance to get the money,” Rawson said.
“We need to tighten our belts. There have to be places that you can find out some more cuts.”
Gateway has $6.7 million in available general-fund reserves.
Business manager Paul Schott said there isn't additional room to cut from the budget without “basically getting rid of programs. We've gone through everything. We are at absolute bare bones.”
The board voted to cut eight full-time teaching positions — three at Gateway High School, four at Gateway Middle School and one at Moss Side Middle School.
One half-time position at the high school and another at Gateway Middle School also will be cut.
Bob Reger, assistant to the superintendent, said four of these positions were cut through attrition because teachers resigned or retired.
State law bars districts from cutting teachers for financial reasons but allows furloughs because of a decline in enrollment.
Gateway officials cited a decline in enrollment from 4,300 students 10 years ago to 3,300 next year.
The board also voted to furlough up to seven teachers who were furloughed in previous years and then brought back to cover for colleagues who went on leave.
Reger said he won't know whether all of these teachers will be furloughed until he has completed staff realignments to comply with state law that the district cut the least senior teachers first.
The board also voted to cut 23 part-time teacher's aide positions, a security-guard position and three administrative positions.
Some of these positions were vacant because of resignations or retirements.
Schott has included one quarter of the additional $764,000 the district would receive from the state in Gov. Tom Wolf's proposed budget.
If the district doesn't receive any additional state funds, it will use another $191,000 in reserves to balance the budget.
The 0.4345-of-a-mill increase in property taxes Schott has proposed would bring the district millage rate to 19.3264 and cost taxpayers an additional $43.45 a year for every $100,000 in assessed property value.
Social studies teacher Mark Wallace described this increase in rate as an “adjustment” to offset a $110 million decline in the districtwide property value because of assessment appeals.
“The solution to your financial problem is to be courageous. Raise the millage to the appropriate rate as the administration proposed. That will take your deficit down, and if the state comes through, your budget is balanced,” he said.
Gideon Bradshaw is a staff writer for Trib Total Media. He can be reached at 412-871-2369 or gbradshaw@tribweb.com.
