RTM School District May Face Tough Budget Cuts

Following the release of Governor Tom Corbett’s proposed budget on Feb. 7, educators around the region have been assessing the impacts that the $20 million in budget cuts will have on the districts.

In the Rose Tree Media School District, and in others across the state, funding to special education remained untouched. On the up side, there were no cuts to the desperately needed state funding. But without an increase, educators worry about projected shortfalls.

The state’s proposed budget and pension fund was also addressed at Thursday's Rose Tree Media School Board of Directors meeting.

Contributions to the Public School Employees Retirement System have risen from 8.65 percent to 12.36 percent over the past year and are expected to rise to 27 precent by 2019, according to RTM Board Member Elizabeth Schneider, who gave the board's Legislative Report at Thursday's meeting. 

Requiring this level of state mandated contributions from districts has resulted in the predictions of never before seen budget shortfalls.

"The state must shift all available resources,"  Schneider said. "Each school district must do the same."

Schneider reassured the public that the budget is not yet set in stone, and that legislators are looking to make changes.