Teachers and parents in West Mifflin Area School District are turning to the school board with questions about rumored layoffs due to budgetary shortfalls, but hard answers are not forthcoming.

The rumors are apparently the product of a preliminary budget spreadsheet that was leaked to some teachers via e-mail after the board held an executive session on the budget Monday, according to school officials.

School officials say they are only in the early stage of discussing the budget.

“Something went out that should not have,” said Superintendent Janet Sardon, referring to the document. “We are nowhere near to giving any of the numbers because we have had one meeting and we have another meeting scheduled for next week in executive session. At that point in time, when we have accurate information to give you, we will do so.”

The executive budget meeting is Monday.

Those who brought concerns to the workshop meeting spoke mostly about possible cuts to foreign language, music, technology and business programs.

Business teacher Marci Springer said she heard business, computer and information technology positions would be cut and said if that happens students will not have access to business and computer classes at the middle and high schools.

“How can we provide a quality education if we are not teaching them how to use computers?” she asked.

Parent Kelly Matey asked how significant the deficit faced by the district is, but school officials only repeated that it is too early to answer that question.

Board member John Donis said too much inaccurate information is circulating.

“Someone is out there starting a lot of rumors. Sure, there might be some layoffs. There may be some things coming down the road. But nothing like they’re saying,” he said.

Matey said she’d heard some jobs had already been cut, a claim school officials said was absolutely not true.

One of the few hard numbers related to the preliminary budget the board hopes to pass in May that was available at the meeting related to spending on special education.

Business manager Dennis Cmar said the initial estimate for special education spending put the amount at $1.5 million for next year. He said special education spending is now estimated to be in the range of $2.6 million. The lower estimate was made based upon information from contractors and past trends in spending.

School director Phil Shar said the district has to limit unnecessary expenditures. In the past three years, he said the district has increased spending to match revenue levels and last year dipped into its fund balance in the name of carrying out projects that were not necessary.

Shar said some of the money wasted went to a parking lot improvement project at New England Elementary School, a security lighting project that started at $36,000 but escalated to $200,000 through change orders, and on pizza, for which he contends the district spent $10,000 over that period.

“If things continue this way, we’re looking at a $50 million budget,” he said.

The district’s current spending plan is about $45.4 million.

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