Monday, April 16, 2012
Administrators need more time to prepare for the meeting, according to Superintendent Patrick O'Toole.
The Upper St. Clair School Board's Committee of the Whole meeting tonight has been rescheduled for 7 p.m., Thursday, April 19, in the central office board room. Superintendent Patrick O'Toole said the administration team needs "more time to prepare" for the meeting. "There are a lot of big decisions looming," he said. Without a tax increase, the district is facing a multi-million dollar budget shortfall. Administrators are evaluating what programs to eliminate and teacher cuts could be as high as 30 to 40 positions, according to O'Toole. "As a board, we're really agonizing over this," said Amy Billerbeck, school board member. O'Toole said negotiations are underway with support staff, including secretaries and custodians. Their contract is …
Tuesday, January 24, 2012
The move will give the board 'maximum amount of flexibility' come June.
The Upper St. Clair School Board passed a preliminary budget Monday night for the 2012-13 school year, which includes a 1.647-mill tax increase and the elimination of nine professional and five support staff positions. A 1.647-mill tax is equivalent to $329 per $200,000 of assessed value. The vote was 7-2. School Directors Louis Oliverio and Louis Mafrice voted against passing the budget. They said they aren't comfortable with such a large tax increase. "I believe a budget is a budget," Oliverio said. "In order for me to vote yes, I need to be comfortable with it." "I believe that this proposed budget falls short of serving members of the community," Mafrice said. "I look at it differently," board member Amy Billerbeck said. "There's one …
Tuesday, December 6, 2011
The superintendent also gave an update on the rifle range at the high school.
The Upper St. Clair School Board appointed a new president and vice president Monday night. 2011-12 School Board Vice President Rebecca Stern will now serve as president. School Director Barbara Bolas was voted to become vice president. Superintendent Patrick O'Toole thanked Harry Kunselman for his time served as president for the past year and went over a long list of district accomplishments. Highlights included the middle school renovation projects, creating a director of advancement position, two bond refinancing opportunities, a wage agreement with Upper St. Clair School District support staff, new district policies, technology investments and a new district tagline. In addition, Judge Arnold Klein, an Upper St. Clair resident, swore …
Tuesday, November 15, 2011
Taxes could rise by .82 mills.
Frustrated and worried looks appeared on the faces of the Upper St. Clair school directors on Monday night as Superintendent Patrick O'Toole presented 2012-13 preliminary budget data. Pennsylvania law will only allow the school board to raise taxes by .33 mills—less than what the district was anticipating in October. As operating now, that would be the equivalent to a nearly $2.8 million budget deficit. If the school board makes a preliminary budget available to the public by Jan. 5, they can apply for an exception that could allow the district to raise taxes by up to .82 mills. However, the district would still be facing a $1.5 million shortfall by raising taxes by .82 mills alone. One of the district's challenges is fulfilling its PSERS …
Monday, November 7, 2011
Five school board candidates are running unopposed in Tuesday's election.
There are five open Upper St. Clair School Board seats this year and five candidates are running unopposed. Louis Oliverio is the only new candidate running for school board. The other four candidates are incumbents. Upper St. Clair Patch caught up with each candidate to hear their thoughts on the most important issues in the Upper St. Clair School District. On possibly making Streams Elementary an all-IB school Billerbeck said the board is in the middle of the process and she still needs more information. "I don't have any pre-conceived notions," Billerbeck said. "I've always been a strong IB supporter...I'm going to look at the demand for IB, how it affects the overall budget...and how it will affect home values in Upper St. Clair." On …
Wednesday, November 2, 2011
Election day is today!
The elections are today and a number of candidates are running for local office. Polls open at 7 a.m. and close at 8 p.m. Click here to locate your polling place. Elections Manager Mark Wolosik is predicting that 30 to 35 percent of registered voters in Allegheny County will go to the polls today. The Upper St. Clair races are not competitive this November. There are four candidates seeking four open commissioner seats and five candidates seeking five open school board seats. During the primary, Upper St. Clair resident Dorothy Davis received enough votes to appear on the November ballot against Commissioner Glenn Dandoy. However, Davis said she did not file the proper paperwork with the Allegheny County Electons Division by July 1 in …
Tuesday, September 20, 2011
The Upper St. Clair School District must decide whether to make Streams Elementary an all-IB school.
The audience was divided in opinion Monday night at the Upper St. Clair School District's second meeting held to discuss the possibility of converting Streams Elementary School into an all-International Baccalaureate school. Nearly 50 people attended the "open microphone" meeting held at Boyce Middle School, according to the sign-in sheets. Voices grew loud and audience members argued at times, as Superintendent Patrick O'Toole warned, "This will be civil and respectful or it will be over." Some residents attended the meeting to speak out against the IB program, other residents came to support the IB program and the rest of the crowd seemed as if they were simply trying to figure out if they should enroll their children in the IB program …
Maureen
4:17 pm on Monday, April 16, 2012
This underscores what appears to be a real lack of foresight and financial planning. As a resident, this last minute scrambling to balance the budget is a poor reflection on the school board leadership involved and district employees who handle the finances. more ›