Students returned to the Harrisburg School District Monday filled with excitement about the new school year amid a backdrop of administrative turmoil.
Volunteers greeted students at the city's main high school campus and other schools when classes resumed as part of an annual program organized by Floyd Stokes where men welcome the children and encourage them to do their best in school. Students at the city's Sci Tech high school campus started classes last week.
It's unclear what sort of impact, if any, will be felt by students this year because of the recent tumult in the district including an embezzlement arrest, school board members resigning abruptly and a lawsuit filed by a former business manager.
But fresh budget cuts will mean less access to reading specialists and guidance counselors for students. Students will be sitting in more crowded classrooms and more likely facing a long-term substitute instead of a full-time teacher.
The cuts will mean one guidance counselor for up to every 400 students, classroom sizes up to 30 for lower grades and up to 35 in the high school.
Still, the district preserved the all-day kindergarten program when grappling with an $8 million hole in the budget that was plugged through cutting 50 positions and a 3.6 percent tax hike on residents.
Part of the reason the budget got out-of-whack was that the district accidentally over-hired 37 teachers in the past two years because of a lack of internal staffing controls.
The human resources department also hired more than 65 teachers at the wrong scale, which cost the district at least $500,000 from the higher salaries promised to teachers in apparent violation of the collective bargaining unit contract, and could cost much more in litigation as the union is now fighting back with a grievance.
The district asked the "overpaid" teachers to repay amounts ranging from $600 to $28,000 because of the errors, but the union says the employees had signed contracts for the amounts they were paid and the district can't extract the money two years after-the-fact.
The matter is expected to go before an arbitrator in October.
Teacher turnover
High teacher turnover is another perennial issue in the district, but even more pronounced this year, union officials said, with the job cuts, forced transfers and budgetary uncertainty.
More than 122 teachers quit last year out of about 550 on the payroll, leaving the district scrambling to fill positions and relying heavily on long-term substitutes.
The union also is trying to agree to terms for a new contract with the school district after the old pact expired this summer.
District officials put out a news release late Friday night saying that they could offer teachers raises of less than $1,000 per year each year for the next three years because of financial constraints from the state-issued recovery plan. That was the "maximum annual increase allowed," according to the news release.
But teachers noted that the district set aside $1.9 million in the budget to settle their grievance, money which has not been tapped, and that the "raises" would come without any step movement, meaning teachers would not get any credit for their years of teaching experience.
With increased health care costs, the "raises" would effectively mean a pay cut, according to union officials.
The officials said the recovery plan was written in 2016 and is likely to be amended this year, possibly altering the amounts available for teacher raises. So the issue will remain unresolved into the fall and teachers will continue under the "status quo" terms of the old contract.
Some community members who want to reduce teacher turnover have asked school board members to take a closer look at cutting administrative costs and deals with contractors instead of teacher compensation.
A community group of parents and taxpayers known as C.A.T.C.H (Concerned About The Children of Harrisburg) emerged earlier this year with a mission to improve access to a quality education in the city. Some members have complained about questionable contracts, and a lack of transparency by the administration and school board. Members of the group speak regularly during the public comments portion of each school board meeting.
School district officials still haven't responded to a PennLive request about the salary of Lisa Love, the former principal at the John Harris campus, who was demoted recently to one of three academy directors at the same high school she once lead. She previously earned about $115,000 as principal.
The three academies are designed to better personalize students' education and prepare them for their next steps. Two of the academies focus on different interests ranging from business and technology to the arts, communication and humanities. One of the academies is designed for freshmen.
District officials would not say which academy would be led by Love or who the other academy directors are.
Grading anomalies
The leadership shakeup came after the district announced that they discovered grading anomalies at the high school. The principal at Sci Tech will take over as principal of the John Harris campus as well this year, according to district officials.
It remains unclear what prompted the internal investigation into grades issued to students last year or what anomalies were discovered. District officials said the grading irregularities didn't allow anyone to graduate who didn't earn it but no specific data or information was provided to reporters.
The graduation rate for 2018 hasn't yet been released, but it declined the previous year to less than 50 percent.
A meeting among the Chief Recovery Officer, financial professionals, the superintendent and her cabinet has been scheduled for Monday, August 27 to review the status of recovery plan initiatives and other outstanding issues, including the district's investigation of grading irregularities, according to Audrey Utley, the chief recovery officer.
Utley noted that the state department of education would likely accept the district's update on their internal investigation, without independently confirming anything. The state department only would get involved if officials received specific information to the contrary or a formal complaint of educator misconduct, she said.
Battling board members
Meanwhile, the superintendent's contract expired this summer, setting off political feuds that have divided the school board. Meetings now routinely involve shouting and drag past four hours.
Another meeting is set for 6:30 p.m. Monday Aug. 20.
School board members who wanted to open up the superintendent's job to a nationwide search were overruled by a majority of the board who wanted Sybil Knight-Burney to keep her job.
Amid the pressure-filled time period when board members were wrestling over whether to keep Knight-Burney, two school board members abruptly resigned.
Tyrell Spradley originally was the deciding vote to open up the job search for superintendent while allowing Knight-Burney to apply as well. But he later changed his mind, wanted to rescind his vote and then left the board five months after he joined it.
Percel Eiland also resigned without explanation. He was one of four board members on the losing side who voted against keeping Knight-Burney and one of two members who voted against the budget that slashed instructional positions and raised taxes.
The board filled those vacancies with two prior board members known for their support of Knight-Burney.
A three-year extension for Knight-Burney was approved by board members but the terms and her pay remain under negotiation. As it stands, she earns an annual salary of $179,208, an annual bonus of $5,000 for "outstanding" performance reviews by board members and the district pays $500 per month for her car.
Knight-Burney currently doesn't have an assistant superintendent, but a position for assistant superintendent was added to the budget for this school year.
The district also is searching for a full-time Chief Financial Officer and business manager. Knight-Burney demoted the previous business manager Kenn Medina last year, prompting a lawsuit. His new position at half his previous salary was one of the 50 jobs cut to balance the budget.
The business manager position is now occupied by Bilal Hasan, who is acting manager, but state officials have said he and the part-time CFO, James Snell, do not have the experience or qualifications required under the recovery plan.
Another change at the high school and throughout the district this year is going to be a "laser-like" focus on chronic absenteeism, according to school officials.
The district reported 45 percent of its students were chronically absent in 2013-14, the latest statistics available. District officials plan to communicate more effectively with parents about their students' attendance and launch a year-long public relations campaign to drive home the importance of being in class, officials said.
School officials also have recently focused more on how to teach children who have suffered trauma, including violence in their homes or neighborhood. Teachers underwent several days of professional development focused on trauma-informed classrooms before the school year launched on Monday.