Upper St. Clair Budget Eliminates Seven Teachers

In the by the Upper St. Clair School Board Monday night, the following seven professional staff positions are being cut:

• High School Special Education Teacher: There is a lower projected enrollment, but there may be a slight increase in class size.
• Elementary Level Spanish Teacher: The elementary Spanish program is being redesigned so two teachers will share the workload at three schools. Online options are also being looked into.
• High School Industrial Arts Teacher: There are plans to reduce the course offerings to allow for one industrial arts teacher instead of two. Courses on the chopping block are intro to architecture, intro to graphics, introductory technical design and development and advanced technical design and development. The courses have low enrollment.
• Fort Couch Home Economics Teacher: There are plans to reduce the course offerings to allow for two teachers instead of three. One teacher will be transferred from the high school to Fort Couch. Courses that may be cut include foods 3, foods 4, and child growth and development. The courses have low enrollment.
• Fort Couch English Teacher (Expressive Arts): The move would eliminate the communication arts course. However, a business/technology teacher from the high school would be transferred and a new expressive arts course would be implemented. Other courses on the chopping block include computer keyboarding and advanced computer keyboarding, Microsoft Office, entrepreneurial leadership and online financial fitness. Courses that may be presented differently are accounting 1 and related elective keyboarding. The courses have low enrollment.
• Boyce Special Education/Resource Teacher: There is a lower projected special education enrollment and/or need and there is a math resource teacher that can provide some special education instruction.
• Boyce German Teacher: The Boyce German teacher will be on a yearlong leave and will be filled by existing staff.

In the plan, two aides will also be cut:

• Fort Couch Special Education Teacher Aide: An existing teacher aide from another building will be transferred based on student needs.
• High School Math Teacher Aide: Responsibilities of existing teacher aides will be shifted.

The professional teacher reductions will result in $550,000 in savings. The two support staff cuts will equal $85,000 in savings.

The positions are available for elimination due to retirements. The agreed not to furlough any teachers during the next two years . The new contract saves the district more than $3.7 million in its first two years.

six teachers and three teacher aides.

There are two more school board meetings on June 11 and 18 before the final 2012-13 budget is approved on June 20.

What do you think about the proposed teacher cuts? Tell us in the comments.

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