Wednesday, May 2, 2012
Superintendent Patrick O'Toole makes changes following the new teacher contract.
The new 2012-13 school calendar is going to look a little different than the one the school board adopted in March. Superintendent Patrick O'Toole was forced to cut back on teacher inservice days following the new contract agreement the district made with the teachers' union in April. Under the new agreement, teachers will have 11 inservice days instead of the scheduled 14. With the new calendar, teachers will begin their school year on Aug. 22, not Aug. 21. (Students begin Aug. 27.) Teachers will not have to report to school on Presidents' Day, Feb. 18, as they would have before their new agreement. And their school year will also end one day earlier—on June 13 instead of June 14. (Last day of school for students is June 11, pending snow …
Tuesday, May 1, 2012
There is a $520,000 projected shortfall with a .41 mill tax increase.
The revised preliminary budget for the Upper St. Clair School District shows a $520,000 shortfall following the new teacher contract agreement. The number takes into account a .41 mill tax increase, the maximum amount the state would allow the district to tax without the referendum exemptions. A .41 mill increase is equivalent to $82 per $200,000 assessed home value. Business Manager Frosina Cordisco presented the calculations to the school board Monday night. Teachers agreed to use their 2009-10 salaries for the 2012-13 school year in their new contract they voted for last month. The move will save the district $555,000 in 2012-13. The district can also save $711,000 by not replacing seven professional staff members who are retiring—…
Friday, April 20, 2012
The agreement will save the Upper St. Clair School District more than $3.7 million in its first two years.
Upper St. Clair School teachers voted 170 to 61 Friday evening to accept a new teacher contract with the district. After the ratification, school board members met at 8 p.m. Friday and voted 8 to 1 to approve the agreement. The new contract will save the district more than $3.7 million in its first two years. The four-year contract replaces the prior contract that was not due to expire for another two years. The most significant changes in the agreement are in salary compensation and a no furlough guarantee. In the 2012-13 and 2013-14 school years, teachers will use their 2009-10 salary schedule. In the 2014-15 school year, the 2010-11 salary schedule will be used. And in 2015-16, the 2011-12 schedule will be implemented. In exchange, the …
If teachers reject the proposal, the district will have to eliminate programs and furlough 30 to 40 professional employees, according to the Upper St. Clair School District's superintendent.
Teachers will vote Friday evening on whether to accept a proposal from the Upper St. Clair School District that would modify their current contracts. Superintendent Patrick O'Toole said at Thursday night's school board meeting that if the teachers reject the proposal, the district will need to move forward with significant cost-saving measures, which will include the elimination of programs and the furlough of 30 to 40 professional employees. If teachers approve the proposal, O'Toole said administrators are prepared to present a budget to the school board that would incorporate the savings provided for in the proposal. Administrators have been in discussions with the Upper St. Clair Education Association, the collective bargaining agent …
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 …
Thursday, April 12, 2012
Superintendent Patrick O'Toole reacts to the Pittsburgh Business Times school rankings.
Upper St. Clair School District Superintendent Patrick O'Toole was pleased to learn that the district was ranked number one in western Pennsylvania and in the entire commonwealth for the seventh consecutive year by the Pittsburgh Business Times. "It's something our community should be proud of," he said. "It started decades ago, the community is built around the school district. We as leaders have a legacy and responsibility to maintain that." "It's the parents, the administration, our wonderful staff and our kids who execute," said Amy Billerbeck, school board member. "I'm really so proud that it's been seven years in a row—it's really amazing. Quite the accomplishment." The newspaper's rankings are based on the Pennsylvania System of …
Saturday, February 4, 2012
Frosina Cordisco, Dr. Sharon Suritsky, Mark Mansfield and Joe DeMar were inducted into the Rotary Club of Bethel-St. Clair.
- GOVERNMENT
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Saturday, February 4, 2012
Four new associate members were inducted into the Rotary Club of Bethel-St. Clair Thursday night at St. Clair Country Club. The associate memberships were granted to Frosina Cordisco, Upper St. Clair School District business manager; Dr. Sharon Suritsky, Upper St. Clair School District assistant to the superintendent for curriculum and instruction/supervisor of special education; Mark Mansfield, assistant township manager; and Joe DeMar, Fort Couch Middle School principal, through the Rotary Club's new corporate membership program. Patrick O'Toole, Upper St. Clair School District's superintendent, and Matthew Serakowski, township manager, were inducted into the local service club as corporate executive members last month. The initiation …
Tuesday, January 17, 2012
The traditional program may be 'phased out.'
The decision on whether to make Streams Elementary School an all-IB school will be made in February at the earliest. Superintendent Patrick O'Toole had previously thought a decision would be made in January. He told school board members Monday night that all curriculum recommendations will be delayed until February because of the amount of work that has had to go in creating an early preliminary budget and the process to apply for a state tax exception. Dr. O'Toole said he would be contacting the International Baccalaureate Organization to see if they would allow Upper St. Clair School District to phase out the traditional program at Streams. That means students currently enrolled in the traditional program would be able to remain at …
Monday, January 16, 2012
Upper St. Clair School District's Superintendent Patrick O'Toole and Upper St. Clair Township Manager Matthew Serakowski were inducted into the Rotary Club of Bethel-St. Clair.
- VOLUNTEERS IN THE NEWS
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Monday, January 16, 2012
The Rotary Club of Bethel-St. Clair has two new members. Upper St. Clair School District's Superintendent Patrick O'Toole and Upper St. Clair Township Manager Matthew Serakowski were inducted into the local service club last week. O'Toole and Serakowski were granted corporate executive memberships, which is part of a new Rotary International program that provides opportunities for institutions or corporations to participate in Rotary. The initiation fee is $100 for the corporate membership and the dues are $60 per quarter. The Rotary Club of Bethel-St. Clair meets at 6 p.m. at St. Clair Country Club each Thursday. For information about Rotary please contact Jim Bolas, membership chairman, at 412-680-5708.
Tuesday, January 3, 2012
A morning snow squall caused school bus delays for Upper St. Clair middle schools.
A sudden burst of heavy snowfall and gusty winds around 8 a.m. Tuesday morning created challenges for the Upper St. Clair School District and Upper St. Clair Public Works Department. The snow squall wasn't a surprise, but the timing of the weather was not ideal, according to Superintendent Patrick O'Toole and Public Works Director George Kostelich. Dr. O'Toole said no weather-related problems were reported during the earlier bus runs, but the later bus runs—carrying Boyce and Fort Couch Middle School students—experienced delays Tuesday morning. He said parts of the district experienced more snow than others—the worst was near Cook School Road. "We tell the drivers to be cautious and travel slowly," Dr. O'Toole said. "But we're lucky here …
Becky Brindle
12:31 pm on Wednesday, May 2, 2012
I bet it was probably more fun having it during the school year ... more ›