Five teacher positions and one school nurse position will be eliminated in the Gateway School District effective June 30. Additionally, 10 part-time teacher aide positions will be cut effective Aug. 23, following a vote by the school board Tuesday.
The district cited a significant decrease in its student population as the reason for the elimination of the staff positions. The student population has gone from 4,304 in 2005-06 to 3,367 for the 2015-16 school year.
The board also blamed stagnant tax revenue and ”declining state support for public education.”
The teacher positions to be cut are a math teacher, an elementary teacher, two physical education teachers and an English teacher.
Also at the meeting, the board received feedback from its proposed policy that would call for armed school police officers at each building in the district.
Gateway currently has two school resource officers, one at the high school and one at Gateway Middle School. Three unarmed security guards work at the high school and one at Moss Side Middle School.
The new plan would call for a total of nine armed security guards or school police officers throughout the district.
Former Pitcairn Police Chief Dave Palermo spoke in favor of having armed officers at the schools, saying “nobody’s immune” to a situation that would warrant an armed officer.
Mr. Palermo said if an active shooter situation were to occur, it would be over in a matter of five to eight minutes and that it would take that long for officers to be dispatched to the school if one were not already present.
“The whole purpose of having an officer is to end the situation as soon as possible,” he said.
Former Monroeville Police Chief George Polnar said there’s no way to measure what can be prevented by having an armed officer at the school, however he did offer up what he said was an old adage.
“The only way to counter a bad guy with a gun is with a good guy with a gun,” he said. “I think it’s going to be a tremendous benefit.”
Glen Raymer, who lives in Monroeville, but is an assistant principal in the Butler Area School District, said, “We do have armed guards in the buildings.”
He added that the buildings are “in lockdown” at all times with a guard at the front of each building and cameras at every door. Students also pass through metal detectors each day.
Mr. Raymer said the guards at the schools are in “soft uniforms” such as a polo shirt with their badge showing and black pants, but do have a weapon on their hip.
“They’re all retired state troopers,” Mr. Raymer said of the officers. He added that the students, even at the elementary level, are not intimidated by the officers.
“They develop a great rapport with students. The elementary kids absolutely love them,” he said, adding, “Those kids feel safe.”
Prior to the board meeting, the school directors held an intergovernmental meeting with officials from Pitcairn and Monroeville about the possibility of working together to hire a team of officers during the school year.
The municipal officials said they are considering the request.
Deana Carpenter, freelance writer: suburbanliving@post-gazette.com.
First Published: June 10, 2016, 4:00 a.m.
