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No action will be taken on spending plan until after talks with teachers union, officials say.
Meghan Gallagher, 8, presented cash raised at a lemonade sale and petitions to save full-day kindergarten.
A line of students parents and citizens forms behind Peter Strecker as he questions the school board about the budget.
Aimee Dilger photos/The Times Leader
Consultant Al Melone Sr. points out budget changes during Thursday night’s meeting at Crestwood.
Aimee Dilger/The Times Leader
WRIGHT TWP. — The Crestwood School Board agreed before a packed house on Thursday night to table the vote on the 2011-12 budget and its proposed cuts until it has completed talks with the members of the Crestwood Education Association, the union group representing district teachers.
The budget tentatively approved at the May meeting includes cuts to middle school sports programs and foreign languages, elementary band and extracurricular activities as well as the elimination of full-day kindergarten and eight teacher furloughs.
“We’re not trying to shirk our responsibility by tabling this vote tonight,” said board President Ken Malkemes. “We’re trying to allow some time to continue our discussions with the Crestwood Education Association and hopefully come to some workable resolution.”
A large number of district residents and students were on hand to express their disapproval with the proposed program cuts and were vocal in support of full-day kindergarten and extracurricular activities.
District business consultant Al Melone Sr. said the board, along with Superintendent Dave McLaughlin-Smith, have worked tirelessly during the past 30 days to limit program cuts and have actually reinstated the middle school athletic program and some elementary activities.
Board members stated they plan to implement a “pay-to-play” athletic program in which students pay a $200 fee to participate in interscholastic sports. However, the vote for the plan was also tabled until union negotiations have ended.
“I hope you put education first and make our children your priority,” said parent Kristin Joseph. “Please don’t use our children as pawns in your game with the union.”
Board member Dave Ralston assured the crowd he takes his responsibility to the students and the community very seriously.
“I think I speak for everyone here when I say this most certainly is not a game,” he said.
“I just want a straight answer about why you chose these particular cuts,” asked one concerned parent. “I moved to Mountain Top so my child could attend Crestwood, and now I feel like the rug has been pulled out from under me.”
Crestwood parent Peter Strecker said he has been in ongoing talks with state Rep. Lisa Baker about the possibility of additional education funding in the state budget and he is awaiting definitive response from her in the next few days.
Like other school districts in the state, Crestwood will see big cuts in state funding if legislators stick to Gov. Tom Corbett’s proposed budget. Corbett insists his budget actually increases the amount the state is giving districts, but his increases don’t begin to cover the loss of federal stimulus money the state used to fill education budget gaps in the past two years, so districts are seeing dramatic shortfalls.
Corbett’s budget plan eliminates the Accountability Block Grant Program, which gave Crestwood nearly $325,000 last year. The district used that money to provide full-day kindergarten. Crestwood also lost nearly $900,000 in the state’s Basic Education Funding, the bulk of state money for public schools.
In response, Crestwood proposed a preliminary $32.6 million budget that cut full-day kindergarten, eliminated middle school sports and dropped elementary and middle school music and foreign-language courses. Those changes were expected to result in furloughs for about eight teachers.
McLaughlin Smith has previously said he would not give details about his conversation with teachers facing likely furlough because nothing is final.
Malkemes said several times that all negotiations would need to be wrapped up before June 30, the state-mandated deadline to finalize the 2011-12 school district budgets.
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