Librarians, staff eliminated at McKeesport Area School District

MCKEESPORT, Pa. — Parents and grandparents were upset to find out cuts are coming to the McKeesport Area School District.

This week, the school board voted to slash positions in the classroom and the library.

District officials told Channel 11 the school libraries will stay open, but won't be staffed with librarian itinerants who travel back and forth between the middle, elementary and high schools.

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"What will they do? What's gonna happen? They start with this and they're gonna do something else," said Lois Elm. "There's so many cuts. The children are the ones that pay the price."

One parent said students can only use the libraries with adult supervision, but there's never adequate staffing for that to happen.

District officials say the cuts boiled down to budgetary constraints combined with the rise in charter school costs.

Despite the positions being eliminated, school officials say the people were not terminated and will likely be reassigned somewhere else.

A McKeesport Area Schools spokesperson said in part, "Please know that the moves are not taken lightly and that the students will ultimately be afforded the same academic opportunities."

Positions will effectively be eliminated on June 30, 2018.

Cox Media Group