Proposed Greensburg Salem budget cuts staff instead of raising taxes

The Greensburg Salem School District would lose two teachers and eliminate several positions through attrition if a proposed budget is adopted to hold the line on taxes while making up for projected revenue losses caused by the coronavirus pandemic.

The school board held a virtual special meeting this week to continue budget discussions.

The new proposal, which includes more cuts than one the board rejected last week, was approved Wednesday by a 6-3 vote. The proposal requires another board vote next month, and changes can be made in the meantime.

The proposal keeps all the cuts suggested last week, saving more than $500,000. These include eliminating the middle school and elementary school library positions, the elementary school band teacher, tech ed teacher and community liaison.

Two teachers would be furloughed.

This week’s proposal included more cuts and cost savings.

Three instructional aides would be cut, saving almost $117,000. The proposal also cuts technology equipment spending by $50,000, though this largely would be supplemented by federal coronavirus relief funding, according to district business manager James Dzurica.

The proposed budget has a projected deficit of $576,164, and includes nearly $583,000 earmarked for major capital projects, including repairing the high school roof.

The district projects it will have about $3.1 million in its reserves by the end of the 2019-20 school year.

Board members Brian Conway, Frank Gazze, Ron Mellinger, Jeff Metrosky, Jonathon O’Brien and Robin Savage voted for the budget, with Lynn Jobe, Lynna Thomas and Stephen Thomas voting against it.

“It feels like we’re doing some things that are educationally unsound that are going to remove opportunities for our students,” Lynna Thomas said.

Sara Deegan, a parent of two children who attend Hutchinson Elementary School and a librarian at Greensburg Hempfield Area Library, asked the board to preserve the librarians.

“I would love to see a message sent that says in Greensburg, education matters,” she said.

She mentioned an online petition organized by Illinois-based nonprofit Every Library that garnered more than 650 signatures asking the district to keep the librarians.

High school student Gage Redinger asked the board to keep the elementary band teacher, speaking about how joining band in elementary school helped him find his friends and his passion.

“Joining the band made me feel much more involved at GS,” he said.

The board is expected to vote on the final budget at its regular meeting June 29. The meeting will either be held at the middle school or via Zoom, depending on state coronavirus guidelines.