CATAWISSA RR - There are countless cost-savings measures being discussed among local school districts while each confronts budget deficits.
At Southern Columbia Area, the district might implement a unique strategy that administrators said proved helpful in the past.
In the 2008-09 school year, Southern used four Act 80 days in January and four in February to reduce the school schedule to four days a week for those months, saving approximately $50,000 in transportation, utilities and paraprofessional costs.
If the school board would chose this direction again in 2013, Superintendent Charlie Reh expects about the same amount of savings, although it would depend on fuel and energy costs at that time.
Board President Mike Yeager pushed the idea last time and said it worked.
"It was a pretty good thing and a way of saving money," he said.
The district's $1 million-plus deficit is a combination of stagnant state funding and increasing costs: pensions payments, up $250,000; health care costs, up $200,000; and salaries, up $275,000. Also, the district has $125,000 more in building project debt, and maintenance and normal operating costs have increased by at least $100,000.
Even if taxes are raised by 2.2 percent, the maximum allowed for Southern under state law, that's only $125,000 in new revenue, leaving more than $900,000 still needed to balance the budget, he said.
The budget debate has led to division on the board and tense public meetings. But no one seems strongly opposed to the four-day week idea.
Reh said the state requires elementary students (kindergarten through sixth grade at SCA) to attend school for 900 hours, but SCA elementary students attend 1,035 hours.
High school students (seventh through 12th grade at SCA) must attend 990 hours, but SCA high school students attend 1,080 hours.
"If you exceed the 990 hours in the high school and 900 in elementary, you can apply for additional Act 80 days," Reh said.
Not every school has the same amount of Act 80 days, nor must they use them, he said.
During the day off, teachers would be required to be in service.
"When we had them last time, it gave us plenty of opportunities for professional development for the teachers," said Joseph Shirvinski, principal at Southern's G.C. Elementary School.
In 2009, teachers were trained in a learning focus strategy. Next time, Shirvinski said he'd like to have teachers trained in Schoolwide Positive Behavior Support, a state program that promotes positive behavior to achieve success.
"It would give us plenty of time to develop that aspect," he said.
What about student performance?
Shirvinski is confident the schedule would not affect student performance, noting test scores from the PSSAs for third and fourth grades were not affected the last time.
Yeager said all scores either stayed the same or improved; he crediting the progress with teachers selecting meaningful assignments on the Act 80 days.
Teachers would use Moodle.com, a free online service that allows teachers to assign courses or individual daily work and allows students to submit essays and homework through the Internet, Yeager said.
Sign of the times
The move three years ago was well received, Reh said.
"It worked out and we didn't get any complaints the last time we did this. All I got was positive feedback," he said.
There was a concern over child care for younger students, but Yeager said the long lead time should allow parents and guardians to make accommodations in time.
Board Vice President Charlie Porter, often a critic of the administration and board majority, said everything needs to be on the table under these tough budget circumstances.
"There has to be a real good reason for taking children out of the classroom. If we can find some savings and possibly not cut a program, then it's worth it," he said.
His support, though, is merely a sign of the times.
"In a normal budget season, if there's such a thing anymore, I don't know if I would support it," he said.