Plum school board members took the first step Tuesday toward closing Regency Park Elementary School.

School directors voted to advertise a hearing set for Feb. 20 to gather public comments on the possible closing. District solicitor Bruce Dice said the hearing will probably be held at 7 p.m.

District business manager John Zahorchak has said closing the school would save the financially troubled district about $1.4 million. Currently, the district faces a $5 million budget deficit for the 2018-19 school year.

Earlier this month, Mr. Zahorchak said closing the school could result in 11 to 19 furloughs, depending on how many teachers retire this year.

The board heard a detailed presentation from Wayne McCullough of the Pennsylvania Association of School Business Officials, which conducted a financial review of the district.

He said the district is required to prepare a balanced budget by state law. Mr. McCullough also said without mandated payments to the Pennsylvania State Employees Retirement System, the district would have no financial problems.

After the meeting, Mr. Zahorchak said the district’s required payments into the pension fund, which totaled just over $1 million a year five to six years ago, have ballooned to just under $10 million per year.

School Director Susan Caldwell said the district is perilously close to incurring state oversight over its finances.

“We’re got a lot of difficult decisions on the horizon,” board president Steve Schlauch said.

Anne Cloonan, freelance writer: suburbanliving@post-gazette.com.

First Published: January 31, 2018, 4:58 a.m.