Norwin board members clash on approach to resolving budget deficit

Faced with a projected $4.4 million deficit for the next school year, the majority of the Norwin School Board members showed no inclination this week to raise real estate taxes.

The alternative includes reducing teaching positions and cutting four all-day kindergarten classes to save about $2.1 million for the 2023-2024 school year.

There is not consensus among the board members “to support a tax hike to maintain current opportunities for students,” Darlene Ciocca, board president, said in a budget presentation Monday.

The proposed budget sets revenue at $81.35 million, while expenses are pegged at $85.8 million, said Ryan Kirsch, business affairs director. The district’s fund balance would be tapped to help cover the deficit. Raising taxes to prevent the elimination of teaching positions was one of three budget options the administration presented to the board.

The district is not proposing any layoffs or furloughs in reducing the teaching staff, but Ciocca said those teachers filling vacant positions might not find an opening in the same subject. Open positions that can’t be filled with existing staff with the proper teaching certification could require hiring another teacher.

Ciocca’s pronouncement came after the school board listened to about 30 students, teachers and parents plead with the directors to fill teaching positions in music, special education, social studies, family and consumer science and the gifted program. Those positions will open through retirement. Visitors also request that an extra full-day kindergarten class in each of Norwin’s four elementary schools be retained. Students told the board about the opportunities they have in the variety of electives and Advance Placement courses.

Some of the proposed cuts from earlier in the budget process will be avoided, including a seventh grade music program that will remain in place, Ciocca said.

One of the options would be to alternate the course offerings in family and consumer science between even years and odd years, Ciocca said. The same model could be used for social study classes and the first and second levels of the child development classes, Ciocca said.

There would be “no hard and fast cuts to special education” for the next school year, Kirsch said.

Director Shawna Ilagan, said she wanted to be presented with a balanced budget, but instead received options from the administration that showed the deficit.

“A tax increase is off the table for me,” Ilagan said.

Director Patrick Lynn said that he believes not hiring teachers to fill upcoming vacancies would be absurd and devastating.

“We just going backwards if you don’t fill these positions” with new teachers, said Lynn, a Woodland Hills teacher.

The board “needs to focus on prioritization” of spending, said Director Alex Detschelt.

Detschelt, who also opposed a tax hike, said there were “a lot of wants” in the expenses.

Lynn said he was in favor of raising real estate taxes by 4.5 mills, the maximum that the district would be permitted to increase taxes under a resolution the board passed in January.

Director William Essay, a retired Franklin Regional teacher, said he also favored raising taxes to balance the budget.

“We’re doing a great job in moving this school district to mediocrity,” Essay said.

Responding to criticism from Detschelt that the administration was not being cut in the proposed budget options, Superintendent Jeff Taylor said that the budget options include reducing administrative costs by about $200,000. When pressed by Detschelt about slashing administrative salaries, Taylor said he believed it would be unfair to do that to employees with contracts.

The board is scheduled to meet on May 23 and discuss the budget again, before meeting on June 5 when it is scheduled to adopt a final budget.