Plum plans to cut 25 teacher jobs

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

The Plum Borough School District will cut more than two dozen teacher jobs as a cost-cutting measure the district says is necessary in the face of a budget deficit of more than $5 million.

District officials say staff cuts — including teacher retirements — would save the district close to $2.7 million. The school board voted Tuesday to allow the district to send furlough letters to 25 teachers and one administrator.

Superintendent Brendan Hyland, who joined the district last month, did not respond to interview requests, but said in a statement that the total number of staff cuts to balance the budget this year remains unclear. The district has been looking for ways to address a $5.2 million deficit in the 2018-19 school year budget.

“We are continuing to explore all avenues to lessen the impact on our district,” he said in an email. “Therefore we are not prepared to give a final number of reductions until we have concluded our budgetary process.”

The board’s vote Tuesday to allow staff cuts comes after it decided last month to close Regency Park Elementary School, one of the district’s four primary schools, and to furlough 12 teachers from the school.

The Plum Borough Education Association, which represents the district’s teachers, opposes the cuts, president David Gray said in an email.

“We are devastated by the number of furloughs that are about to take place,” he said. “These are a direct result of the lack of revenue generated by the district over a period of 10 years. PBEA opposes any plan that results in larger class sizes and/or fewer program choices for our students.”

A Wall Street ratings agency last year suggested the Plum district would likely have to turn to staff cuts and tax hikes to balance its annual operating deficits. S&P Global Ratings lowered the district’s credit rating last May and said there was a 1-in-3 chance it would do so again if the district failed to find stronger financial footing.

In describing the district’s budget challenges, the agency cited 10 years without real estate tax increases, pressure from cyberschools, and rising health care and retirement costs.