Summit Hill 161 hopes to reduce teacher raises

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Updated: March 11, 2012 8:48AM

Summit Hill School District 161 board members hope teachers will consider a reduction in next year’s scheduled pay hike.

Teachers are in line for a 5 percent raise in Year 4 of their five-year deal. The issue was raised during a recent school board work session, and teachers union president Scott Smalter said he would discuss it with union officers.

“Even just a 1 percent reduction in salaries would be a significant amount of money to put toward the (district’s anticipated $2.5 million) deficit,” board member Sean Doyle said after Wednesday’s school board meeting.

The board has met numerous times in the past two months to explore ways to cut spending. Ideas range from cutting teachers by increasing class sizes to closing a school building.

A call to reduce the full-day kindergarten program to a half day to save $450,000 was rejected in a 4-to-3 vote Wednesday during the meeting, which was attended by about 200 residents and district employees. Mary Kenny, Joy Murphy and Denise Wildeveld voted for the change while Doyle, Denise Lenz, George Perros and Stacey Borgens rejected it.

Kenny said she has seen benefits from both half-day and full-day programs, while Murphy said, “I do love that program, but I have seen the half-day program also be successful.”

Lenz said, “The goal is to educate children. Buildings are buildings. There’s more that we can peel away from the top.”

Parent Brian Malpeli suggested parents could save the district money by volunteering.

“Raise the classroom size and have a volunteer teacher aide program that would offset the difference in the cost of having that full-day kindergarten,” he said during the meeting.

Malpeli also said he investigated a district proposal to install a sidewalk along the perimeter of Rogus School so students can walk there, saving the district transportation costs. He said he learned that Frankfort Township would be responsible for a sidewalk and that township officials told him they would consider the project. District officials have estimated the sidewalks would cost about $60,000.

Officials also have discussed seeking a property tax hike via a referendum in November, eliminating bus service for students living less than 1.5 miles from school, cutting transportation for extracurricular activities and making administrative cuts.

No decision has been made on a proposal to close Mary Drew School.

The next board meeting is slated for Feb. 25.