Mt. Lebanon school directors talk options for budget deficit
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Options discussed Monday for closing a $2 million Mt. Lebanon School District budget gap include increasing the property tax rate, dipping into discretionary cash and cutting programs and staff.
Also hanging over the district is a teachers' union grievance directors are negotiating to resolve that could cost as much as $1 million.
No one welcomed the idea of losing teachers or programs in a district that prides itself on the quality of education it provides.
"This has been painful at every level," board member Mary Birks said.
New board member Scott Goldman said cutting programs may be unavoidable and, ideally, he would prefer no property tax increase.
A single resident, David Huston, spoke up and blamed the budget gap on Mt. Lebanon High School $109.6 million renovation project.
School directors said districts throughout the state are having these same conversations, pointing to Gov. Tom Corbett's proposed budget which moved most extra education dollars to pension obligations.
First Published February 15, 2012 12:01 pm
