Concern swells over athletics cuts

By KEVIN MCKEE

kmckee@lockhaven.com

MILL HALL — It’s decision day.

Parents, teachers, administrators, taxpayers– and the students, perhaps most of all — should find out tonight what changes are in store at Keystone Central School District as the board struggles to cut millions of dollars in expenses to balance the district’s 2018-2019 budget.

Tonight’s meeting will be held at Bucktail Area High School in Renovo, at 6:30 p.m., and is the final school board meeting to determine what items will be on the 2018-19 final preliminary budget, which must be displayed publically for at least 30 days before it can be voted into place as the operating budget.

Barring last minute changes, though, what the school board decides tonight will most likely become the law of the land.

Many items have already been decided throughout the budgetary process, with Keystone Central’s current deficit having fallen to $4,015,109 – although that does not factor in the offer of a pay freeze by the Act 93 staff, which was extended to the board prior to last Thursday’s finance committee meeting after teachers voted not to accept a one-year pay freeze.

The board will vote on that pay freeze offer tonight.

BUDGET CUTS-CHANGES

Cuts or changes already in a preliminary budget include the following:

r Eliminate teaching positions due to attrition — two English, one art, two music, three special education, and one elementary position. This reduces expenses by $792,000.

r Reduction to operating budgets (department and classroom), by $1,592,000.

r Reduction to the athletic operating budget by $57,000.

r Capital project transfer reduction of $180,000.

r Elimination of summer paint crew, reducing $15,000.

r Reduction of non-instructional administrators due to attrition, including a business office administrative assistant, the PIMS supervisor, and a property services manager, for a $220,000 reduction.

r Reduction of instructional administrative positions due to attrition, including the director of curriculum and assistant principal at Renovo, for a savings of $325,000.

r Reduction of $147,339 due to attrition of support positions: Five housekeepers, one custodian, and three building assistants.

r Reduction of $616,000 due to attrition of teaching retirement positions, including one art, two special education, three elementary, and one in the library.

r Elimination of Renovo Pre-K classroom — one teacher and one teacher assistant — for a reduction of $113,000.

In addition to these items, the school board is known to still be considering these options, some of which were added at last Thursday’s finance committee meeting:

r Raising property taxes to the index of 3.3 percent, which would generated $700,000 in additional revenue.

r Auto Body CTE program, which would be a savings of $55,000.

r Auto Mechanics CTE program, which would be a savings of $56,000.

r Cutting two music positions through attrition, which would be a savings of $176,000.

r Closing Dickey Elementary, which would be a savings of $1,605,093.

r Instituting a Secondary Common Prep Period, which would be a savings of $1,000,000.

r Using the fund balance to fill in any holes.

r Additional reduction to capital project budget.

r The fundraising coordinator position, occupied by Angela Harding.

r The CTE Director position, occupied by Ken Kryder.

r The 25 percent reduction of stipends for coaches (rejected by the union).

r Eliminate all district-paid cell phones.

r Eliminate junior high sports programs.

r Limit all sports teams to league games only.

r Freeze the purchase of equipment.

r Introduce a policy to have a maximum number of participants on all sport teams.

Out of this list, there are several noteworthy narratives.

Support for removing the closing of Dickey Elementary School from this list swelled at last week’s meeting, but the absence of Eric Probert resulted in a tied 4-4 vote.

The secondary common prep period has risen in prominence as a likely target of the school board, seemingly in response to the news that the Association of Clinton County Educators would not accept the district’s offer of a pay freeze.

The fundraising coordinator position and the CTE director position have both been marked by the administration as recommended keeps, but members of the school board seemed unconvinced and asked to leave the items on the list for discussion.

Also listed on the agenda are action on:

r Approve adult education programs through the Keystone Central Career and Technology Center.

r The Memorandum of Understanding between the Keystone Central School District and the Clinton County Education Support Professionals Association regarding Title I associates.

ATHLETICS

One of the most significant changes has been an increased desire for athletics cuts from school board members, seemingly spearheaded by board president Charles Rosamilia, who personally proposed several of the athletics-related items slated to be considered tonight.

“If we can’t get them (coaches) to reduce salaries, we need to cut that many assistant coaches instead,” he said.

Under this category, the board tonight is poised to vote on the following positions as a “result of all fall (head coaching) positions being opened:”

r An as-yet unnamed head football coach at Central Mountain High School, effective July 1, at an undisclosed salary. Jim Renninger held this job the past two years.

r Employment of William Hook as head boys’ soccer coach at CMHS/CMMS at July 1 at $6,018.

r Employment of Cole Black as head girls’ soccer coach at CMHS/CMMS at July 1 at a salary of $6,395.

r Employment of Scott Garman as head volleyball coach at CMHS/CMMS at July 1 at a salary of $4,762.

r Employment of Peter Wert as head girls tennis coach at CMHS at July 1 at a salary of $5,953.

r Employment of John Lodek as head golf coach at CMHS at July 1 at a salary of $5,655.

r Employment of Terrance Green as head girls’ and boys’ cross country coach at CMHS at a salary of $5,953.

r Employment of Diana Gentzel as head cheer advisor at CMHS/CMMS at a salary of $4,396.

r Employment of Bruce Ransom as head football coach at Bucktail Area High School at July 1 at a salary of $7,523.

r Employment of Daniel Heiser as co-head girls’ tennis coach at Bucktail Area at July 1 at a salary of $2,976.

r Employment of Alison Heiser as co-head girls’ tennis coach at Bucktail Area at July 1 at a salary of $2,976.

r Employment of Maria Ransom as head cheer advisor at Bucktail Area at July 1 at a salary of $4,396

These issues, and others, will be discussed and voted on tonight, as the board is scheduled to adopt next year’s budget at its June 14 meeting.