May 21, 2020 2 min read

The South Fayette School Board opted against voting on a proposed budget for the 2020-21 school year Tuesday, telling administrators to make additional cuts to it.

As it was presented to the board in a virtual meeting Tuesday, the district’s budget would have been in the neighborhood of $65 million for the next school year, and have the district taking about $5 million out of its fund balance. Some trims had been made in the proposed budget before the meeting, but the board insisted on more.

“It’s still not enough,” said board member Lena Hannah. “I can’t support this.”

Teresa Burroughs, another board member, echoed these sentiments, saying that “we need to make some drastic cuts. We need to identify the wants versus the needs.”

Some board members wondered what impact the coronavirus pandemic would have on the district’s financial picture, and Brian Tony, the finance director, explained that “every district is going to be different.” Along with its financial impact, South Fayette and other districts are wondering whether students will be in buildings in the fall, or will have to continue virtual learning due to the pandemic.

The board is obligated to approve a proposed budget by May 31. After it is approved, it will be available for public inspection and must be adopted by the end of June. In order to approve the proposed budget, the board will have two meetings next week – one on Tuesday to discuss planned renovations to the district’s middle school, and another on Thursday to talk about the budget.

Dr. Kenneth Lockette, superintendent, said he would meet virtually with building principals and other administrators to find areas that could be cut.

“We’ll sit down and look at our wants and needs and present some cuts to the board next week,” he said.