Steel+Valley+Sends+Furlough+Notices+to+All+Teachers

=By Mary Niederberger= = = =//Published in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette//= =//April 12, 2011//=

=Furlough notices were sent to the 153 teachers in the Steel Valley School District on Friday, though no specific decisions on layoffs have been made by the board, according to Superintendent William Kinavey.= =Mr. Kinavey said the letters were sent to the teachers to comply with the current contract which requires the district to notify teachers by April 30 if they will be furloughed for the coming year.= =Steel Valley stands to lose $2.4 million in state subsidies under Gov. Tom Corbett's proposed budget. In addition, the district already had a $621,000 deficit.= ="So you are talking about a loss of $3 million out of a $28 million budget," Mr. Kinavey said.= =The district recently laid off six custodians and six teachers' aides, and teacher furloughs appear likely. But Mr. Kinavey said he and the board have not made any decisions about where layoffs will occur. Even once those decisions are made, targeted teachers can bump others based on seniority and certification.= ="It could be months before we know which teachers would go so the letters were sent to protect the district legally," he said.= =Mr. Kinavey said the district also is negotiating with the teachers for a pay freeze as recommended by the governor. Those talks are taking place as part of the teacher contract negotiations in the district.= = = = = =Read more: [] =

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