WHITEHALL, Pa.- It has been nearly two weeks since Whitehall-Coplay School District voted to move forward with a proposal to cut more than two dozen positions.\u00a0<\/p>\n
It comes as the school district is looking to address a roughly $6 million budget deficit.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Our 69 News team sat down with school leadership last week to ask some of your questions, including how the school district got here.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cOur salaries and benefits jumped dramatically. We have some contracts in place that caused our salaries and the numbers that are associated with that to go up dramatically. And\u00a0like\u00a0I\u00a0said,\u00a0with\u00a0benefits, health\u00a0care, it hit everyone\u00a0in\u00a0education\u00a0pretty\u00a0hard.\u00a0Nearly\u00a0a\u00a020%\u00a0increase\u00a0this\u00a0year. So\u00a0that\u00a0was\u00a0a\u00a0massive\u00a0difference.\u00a0A couple of issues\u00a0that\u00a0we\u00a0face\u00a0as\u00a0well\u00a0are\u00a0rising\u00a0retirement\u00a0costs. There are also charter school costs, which at this point this year, $7.3\u00a0million that we’re\u00a0responsible\u00a0for, that\u00a0is\u00a0nearly\u00a0a\u00a0million\u00a0dollar\u00a0increase\u00a0from the\u00a0year\u00a0before. When\u00a0you\u00a0start\u00a0to\u00a0put\u00a0all\u00a0of\u00a0these\u00a0things\u00a0together,\u00a0that’s\u00a0what\u00a0causes such a\u00a0major\u00a0budget\u00a0shortfall,” said Whitehall-Coplay Superintendent Christopher Schiffert.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Whitehall-Coplay Superintendent Christopher Schiffert and Assistant Superintendent Renee Sallit explained the financial shortfalls that led to a reorganization that includes position eliminations and demotions.\u00a0<\/p>\n
“We\u00a0spent\u00a0a\u00a0lot\u00a0of\u00a0time\u00a0redoing\u00a0our\u00a0building\u00a0budgets\u00a0and\u00a0our\u00a0overall district budget. We\u00a0cut\u00a0and\u00a0cut\u00a0and\u00a0cut.\u00a0 We\u00a0had\u00a0to\u00a0make\u00a0decisions\u00a0not\u00a0to\u00a0buy various equipment\u00a0that\u00a0we\u00a0are\u00a0in\u00a0need\u00a0of.\u00a0We\u00a0cut\u00a0our\u00a0technology\u00a0budget.\u00a0 There\u00a0are\u00a0lots\u00a0of\u00a0areas\u00a0that\u00a0we\u00a0had\u00a0to\u00a0do\u00a0a\u00a0lot\u00a0more\u00a0with\u00a0a\u00a0lot\u00a0less. I don\u2019t know that people understand that it wasn\u2019t\u00a0just\u00a0immediately\u00a0go to cutting\u00a0staff. So,\u00a0we\u00a0did\u00a0all\u00a0of\u00a0those\u00a0things. Then we finally had to get to a point where we\u00a0had\u00a0to\u00a0prioritize\u00a0where\u00a0we are at\u00a0with\u00a0what\u00a0our\u00a0needs\u00a0are,” said Schiffert.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
When we asked why the changes despite no drastic loss in overall enrollment, Schiffert cited curriculum changes and course enrollment as what are driving decisions.\u00a0<\/p>\n
“I\u00a0think\u00a0sometimes\u00a0that’s\u00a0a\u00a0misunderstanding,\u00a0that\u00a0Whitehall’s\u00a0overall\u00a0numbers\u00a0have\u00a0generally\u00a0been\u00a0stable\u00a0over the years, but\u00a0when\u00a0you\u00a0look\u00a0at\u00a0certain\u00a0areas,\u00a0there\u00a0may\u00a0be\u00a0particular\u00a0classes that\u00a0are\u00a0not\u00a0in\u00a0demand.\u00a0 Science\u00a0is\u00a0a\u00a0good\u00a0example\u00a0where\u00a0there\u00a0are\u00a0requirements\u00a0for\u00a0kids\u00a0to take\u00a0science\u00a0classes at the secondary\u00a0level,\u00a0but\u00a0there\u00a0are\u00a0different\u00a0choices\u00a0that\u00a0they\u00a0can\u00a0take\u00a0to meet\u00a0those\u00a0requirements. So,\u00a0there\u00a0may\u00a0be\u00a0a\u00a0course\u00a0or\u00a0courses\u00a0that\u00a0we needed a teacher for that we no longer need based on those requests,\u201d said Schiffert.\u00a0<\/p>\n
We asked Schiffert why administrative cuts were not made and why this was not considered an economic furlough.\u00a0<\/p>\n
“I think it’s easy to look at, you know, when you’re losing staff, I think sometimes people feel it’s just a normal thought process that administration has to go.\u00a0They’re failing to see what the administration provides. When you talked about getting into the economic type of furlough, which we may very well find ourselves in, we will be faced with cutting administration.\u00a0There will\u00a0be\u00a0no\u00a0way\u00a0around\u00a0that. If you start to cut into that now, you\u2019re already depleting your numbers,\u201d he said.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t know that anyone could really foresee what that\u2019s going to look and feel like when you don\u2019t have administrators. Because if you\u2019re not laying that foundation, you\u2019re not doing all that work, then all the things that are happening in the classroom become more difficult as you\u2019re not able to deal with the challenges of the students, the discipline of the students, because you have no reaction time, you don\u2019t have enough people to deal with it.\u201d<\/p>\n
Schiffert says he does not see this being a one-year issue.\u00a0We asked how they deal with morale as they navigate the reorganization.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cIt is going to take time. I realize that.\u00a0Part of our hope is that in meeting with staff and whomever else in the coming days, that we can, at least\u00a0share another version of what’s been happening and not just have narratives that are false or based on something that people really don’t understand,” he said.\u00a0<\/p>\n
As for what is next, he says that they are still working with the teaching\u00a0union and looking at concessions that could be made that could ultimately save a position.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWe’ve\u00a0gone\u00a0through\u00a0a\u00a0majority\u00a0of\u00a0the\u00a0process\u00a0as\u00a0far\u00a0as\u00a0letting\u00a0people know where they are as far as bumping is concerned, and what positions may ultimately be taken away at this point in time. But we have been working continuously with the teaching union, and we\u2019ve been looking at some things that we could possibly make concession on as far as contractual items that they\u2019re willing to move on. If we can come to some agreement on those things, it\u00a0could ultimately save\u00a0a\u00a0position,” said Schiffert.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
As for what is going to happen to class sizes?\u00a0<\/p>\n
“There\u00a0could\u00a0be\u00a0increases.\u00a0They’re\u00a0not\u00a0massive\u00a0increases,\u00a0but\u00a0they\u00a0are\u00a0without\u00a0a\u00a0doubt\u00a0increases,” he said.\u00a0<\/p>\n
A budget does need to be finalized by the end of June.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
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