PHOTO PROVIDED Lindsay Kalbach, an English teacher, spoke about the loss of positions creating challenges and straining staff who are left to pick up the work.

PHOTO PROVIDED
Melinda Lewis was one of many Bucktail area residents who spoke out against the proposed furloughs, during the KCSD board of directors voting session on Thursday night.

MILL HALL — The Keystone Central School District Board of Directors voted down a recommendation to furlough six staff members, including staff in its Western Clinton County schools, following almost a half an hour of public comment.

The board had previously elected not to furlough staff members back in March, after a staffing study was completed by Superintendent Dr. Francis Redmon and the administration.

At its work session last week, Redmon requested the board reconsider the furloughs recommended in the study, noting only six were needed after 19 positions were opened through retirements and resignations.

Eight members of the public, all of them representing Bucktail Area Middle/High School or Renovo Elementary, spoke at the start of the board’s voting session on Thursday night about the proposed furloughs.

Many came after hearing the schools in that part of the district would potentially lose two staff members, a physical education teacher and a music teacher.

Those who spoke ranged from current or former Bucktail students, parents and teachers.

McKenna Bissman, a senior at Bucktail High School, expressed disappointment in the consideration of furloughing staff, particularly the ones proposed at Bucktail.

“Having access to music and physical education, even before middle school, has impacted my life greatly. The possible furloughs may just seem like removing another position. But this would have a major impact on Bucktail’s program and school,” she said. “If that happens, I promise you all people will not be very happy.”

Bissman also spoke about the “outrageous” consideration on the board’s agenda to receive compensation for their roles.

“That is absolutely ridiculous to me. You want to take away so much from the school, the students and teachers, but want to receive a reward for saying yes or no every second Thursday of the month,” she said. “I know it’s not just that. But right now it really seems like it.”

Later in the meeting, when considering what proposals to send to the Pennsylvania School Board Association (PSBA) Board President Elisabeth Lynch spoke about the topic brought up by Bissman.

Lynch said PSBA each year offers school boards in the Commonwealth an opportunity to send information about “something we feel is important for them to take to Harrisburg.”

“The compensation is not a recommendation, it was tasked to bring information to the table. These are things other board members have brought up repeatedly to PSBA and it seems to be a hot topic for other school districts,” she said. “It’s for informational purposes only. This board is tasked with whether or not they would like to send a letter and if so what topic.”

Two letters were presented to the board, a multi-page document of information related to board compensation and a single page letter regarding unfunded mandates. Lynch said the letter would direct PSBA what they should bring to the legislature in 2026-2027.

The board ultimately struck the compensation letter and voted to only send the letter related to unfunded mandates.

Board member Jason Smith said it was a matter of principle to do so while Board member Dr. Bill Baldino noted it would be inappropriate and immoral to request a PSBA lobby for board member compensation.

“We took a volunteer job and you have the option of resigning if it gets to be too much. We shouldn’t be asking for compensation,” he said.

The remainder of public comment focused on the furlough considerations, many which emphasized the importance of the teachers in the western Clinton County schools.

Krystle Smith, a parent of students at Bucktail, said teachers are much more than instructors.

“They go to sporting events, to special events, concerts and performances. Not only do they go, they take their families and show up for these kids,” she said. “I know my children, they feel seen, heard and loved and I’m sure I can speak for other parents.”

“As small and tight knit as Bucktail is, those teachers show our kids every single day just how important they are and just how important their education is,” she continued.

Megan Houser told the board she’d heard from several parents, community members and residents about the proposed furloughs, noting their anger, heartbreak and frustration about the proposed cuts.

“Our students in Renovo have already lost so much over the years. We are watching opportunities continue to disappear while our community is repeatedly asked to accept less and less for our children. At some point enough has got to be enough,” she said. “When we remove these opportunities we are not just cutting positions, we are taking away experiences that shape children’s lives.”

Bucktail graduate and former student government president Martin Lewis noted the school already operates at the bare minimum while still managing to provide a quality education.

“We have about as few teachers as we can. We’ve lost a lot, especially since I was in middle school,” he said.

Lewis, an alum of the Bucktail band, said he was appalled and concerned the furloughs might include the school’s music teacher and band director who’d been hired a year ago. He emphasized her dedication and hard work in both roles and added music teachers within the district that circulate through its elementary schools wouldn’t be able to keep up her level of work.

“This decision is beyond just numbers and finance. This decision impacts people’s lives and impacts the students directly,” he said.

Renovo resident Melinda Lewis echoed much of Martin’s statements, noting she’s seen the band director put her “heart and soul into teaching” and witnessed the kids continue to grow.

She further questioned how furloughing a recently hired teacher would look for the district, saying it would create a negative impact for hiring prospective teachers in the future.

“I know many may feel this is simply about the money and we need to make these cuts to fix everything. We should instead focus on continuing to put the pressure where it needs to be: On Harrisburg,” she said.

Kelly Day, a parent in the district, noted the impact furloughs would have.

“The decision you’re making today is directly impacting the lives of the families that live in Clinton County and the children who depend on us to prepare them for the future,” she said.

The remaining individuals who spoke are teachers within the district, including English teacher Lindsay Kalbach.

Kalbach asked the board to take a chance on the students and staff much like her parents did 34 years ago when they chose to leave Reading to move to Clinton County.

Part of Kalbach’s speech focused on how the furloughs would impact the remaining staff.

“Each employee of this district is invested in the future of the children that graduate from Keystone Central. We function as one unit and we cannot afford to continue to lose valued employees that dedicate their lives to the success of our children,” she said. “Over the past few years as people retire or resign, I’ve seen the rest of us bear the weight of the work left behind.”

The final speaker was Dan Heiser, a math teacher at Bucktail Middle/High School and a father of kids within the district.

Heiser encouraged the board to vote no on the furloughs and instead work with the community, staff and students to find better solutions to battle its deficit.

“I don’t know all the answers. I don’t have all the answers. But I’m always willing to sit down and have a conversation to find solutions that help this district move forward,” he said. “This board has the opportunity to do something really really great if we can put our opportunities together for these kids and these ideas.”

During its discussions, the board spoke about the potential furloughs for about a half an hour, with the majority speaking negatively towards the recommendation.

When voting took place all but Vice President John Miller voted against the proposal.

Miller said, given the financial state the district was in, the cuts were a necessity.