Schools

Update: Moon Area School District Furloughs 10 Staffers

Board President McCurdy: "This option does not eliminate teachers tonight."

The  in a 5-to-1 vote Monday night furloughed 10 district employees as a cost-cutting measure. 

The district is slated to lay off employees in eight elementary school positions, one special education position and one computer and technology position at the end of the school year in the move. 

Board president Sandra McCurdy said the district may rescind the furloughs when it completes its 2012-2013 budget.

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McCurdy said the board opted to make the layoffs as a cost-reduction option for next year’s budget. The district is required to provide notice to teachers prior to layoffs under the terms of its contract with the Moon Area Education Association. 

McCurdy called the layoffs “purely contractual.” Board members Samuel Tranter, Dennis Harbaugh and Michael Olszewski were not present at the meeting.

Find out what's happening in Robinson-Moonwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

“I’ve done it in corporate America, and it kills me to do it,” McCurdy said of the furloughs. “But when we’ve got debt payments going up a million dollars in one year and when we have rising pension costs, we have to look at our options. We cannot close off an option.”

The district did not disclose the names of the employees who will be affected by the cuts.

Tim Ford, a Moon Area School District teacher and president of the Moon Area Education Association, asked the board to reconsider the cuts. 

"It is a matter of public concern, and it is unnecessary to furlough 10 teachers," Ford said. "These furloughs will result in larger class sizes."

School board member Laura Jo Schisler said the district may forgo the layoffs later. 

"This makes me ill," Schisler said. "But it means nothing other than our door and our option is open." 

Board member Jerry Testa introduced a motion to vote next month for a budget proposal that he said "included all-day kindergarten and no furloughs." The motion failed to move to a vote. Testa voted against the furloughs, calling them “absolutely unnecessary.”

Under proposed plans for a full-day kindergarten program, the district was slated to hire or transfer staff members to accommodate larger student enrollment and changes to curriculum during the 2012-2013 school year. 

"This action shows an inability to make a decision," Testa said.

In 2011, the board furloughed 19 support staff members, but rehired the staffers after a  was reached with the district's support staff union. 

Board member Jeff Bussard said the board could vote on implementing a  next month as it nears completion of the budget. The district must post its budget for the public by May 30, and the board must vote on its adoption within 30 days of its posting.

Check back with Patch for more information. 

Other items from the meeting:

  • Alan Bennett, director of fiscal services, said Dominion Power has notified the district that it owes the utility company a $116,000 payment after a “glitch in the meter reading” at the district middle school. Bennett recommended that the board hire a consulting firm to assess the issue. The item will be placed on the board’s May 7 agenda.
  • Superintendent Donna Milanovich presented the board with a plan for a district-run cyber school for area students. Check back with Patch Wednesday for more information on the initiative. 
  • The district will hold a public meeting at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday in the Moon Area Middle School to unveil curriculum changes at its new middle school. 

Correction: A previous version of this article incorrectly stated that a $161,000 payment request was issued by Dominion Power. The correct number is $116,000. 


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