Rosslyn Farms residents want to pull out of Carlynton schools
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A majority of Rosslyn Farms residents has signed a petition seeking to have the community secede from the Carlynton School District and instead send its students to Chartiers Valley.
The move is being sought for several reasons, including that Chartiers Valley has a superior curriculum, is a thriving district and would be in the best interest of the students, according to the 561-page filing.
The request, filed this week in Allegheny County Common Pleas Court, will ultimately be decided by the state Department of Education. A hearing on the petition is scheduled for next Friday.
The attorney who filed the petition on behalf of the Rosslyn Farms residents, Anthony Mengine, did not return a phone call seeking comment, nor did several of the individuals identified as spearheading the effort.
The state Department of Education also did not respond to a request for information.
Ira Weiss, the solicitor for Carlynton, said the district's position is that it should remain intact.
Moving the students from Rosslyn Farms out of the district would have consequences for the remaining students, Mr. Weiss said, in terms of state subsidy payments, as well as on the tax base.
There are 1,450 children in the Carlynton School District, which also includes children from Crafton and Carnegie. Chartiers Valley includes students from Collier, Scott, Bridgeville and Heidelberg.
The families of Rosslyn Farms have 70 school-age children. Of those, 34 attend either private or parochial schools, said Michael Panza, Carlynton's superintendent. The rest attend classes in the district.
The petition includes 291 signatures, representing 78 percent of the 371 taxable residents in the community.
According to the 2000 U.S. Census, there were a total of 464 people living in Rosslyn Farms. The borough encompasses just 0.6 square miles and includes 190 homes.
Betsy Tassaro, who has served on the Carlynton school board for a combined 16 years, said she believes what's driving the petition is what some believe to be a higher quality of education at Chartiers Valley, although the prospect of lower taxes is a factor, as well.
Chartiers Valley, with about 3,400 students, has a lower millage rate and, Ms. Tassaro said, offers more classes and resources for its students.
For example, the Chartiers Valley school board last month approved a budget that includes $1 million to purchase a laptop computer for every student in grades 9-12.
First Published July 8, 2011 12:00 am
