Monessen class scheduling changes opposed

A large crowd of parents and students turned out for Tuesday night’s school board meeting.

More than 100 parents and students packed Monessen’s school board meeting Tuesday to address concerns over a possible new scheduling process at the middle and high schools.

The district released a statement Friday addressing changes being made to the class scheduling process. Superintendent Dr. Robert Motte said the district is currently right-sizing the middle school and high school class schedules using a bottom-up approach. The schools have 307 combined students.

“This process begins with student course requests, interests, and needs,” Motte said in the statement. “From there, we are building the schedule and adding classes as needed to ensure students have access to meaningful and relevant learning opportunities.”

That did not sit well with many parents and students online and in person. Rumors circulated that Spanish classes and other advanced courses would be cut.

“During scheduling last week, the inability to select advanced courses in Spanish has brought about an uproar among the entire student body,” Class of 2029 treasurer Noelle Spagnolo said Tuesday. “This does not concern only a small few, it concerns many. The cutting of advanced classes will change our ability to grow academically in the Monessen School District.”

Spagnolo added that cuts like these are “detrimental” to students, especially those who speak Spanish. She called the class highly valuable with a long-term impact.

“Education is something that should be highly prioritized and valued at a school,” Spagnolo said. “We should be working to get everyone able to take advanced classes, not taking them away to feel like they can never reach that level.

“We should encourage them that just because they may not be in them at this moment, they can work up to the point of getting there from force and hard work, not taking away hard classes to make things easier.”

Motte said the sole purpose of the change is to explore ways to improve educational opportunities while remaining responsible and transparent.

“I wanted to sincerely apologize for any confusion and concern about our recent scheduling process,” Motte said at the meeting. “I would never intend to upset anyone, create a misunderstanding or lack transparency. This was a miscommunication that I take full responsibility for.”

In a Facebook post, Motte stated that the district is not eliminating advanced or upper-level classes. He added that the scheduling process involves building around the core classes all students must take, and from there they add advanced and upper-level courses based on student needs and enrollment.

Motte also stated that the district officials have made no decisions to eliminate staff positions, the district is deciding if some existing courses could be adjusted or reimagined to add new classes, and they are looking to add opportunities that would allow students to utilize their new renovated spaces.

“Our goal was to optimize the schedule by identifying courses with low student interest so we could consider replacing them with higher interest offerings that better align with our student needs and our learning spaces,” Motte said Tuesday. “Our focus remains on what is best for the students, and I am going to have clear communication moving forward.”

Luke Totten said he and his fellow classmates are bothered by the new class changes. He stated that though the district has no intent of taking away teachers, taking away classes such as chemistry and Spanish could put a teacher out of a job.

According to Motte, if an advanced course has limited enrollment, students will still have access to classes through PennWest University, Westmoreland County Community College, Seton Hill and other institutions.

Senior Julia Katwaroo said citing those colleges implies that students will not have advanced classes offered to them, and they will have to go elsewhere to get a higher level of education, which disadvantages students.

“They will have to enroll in classes outside of school on their own time,” Katwaroo said. “Saying students still have access ignores that access now requires extra time, transportation, scheduling coordination and personal initiative outside the regular school day. That is not equal access. That’s added responsibility.”

Many stated that students also could go to more advanced colleges because of the higher level classes they are provided, not just local colleges.

Alex Merritt, a 2024 graduate who attends West Virginia University, said his high grades in college were a result of the content he learned at Monessen from his higher-level classes. He commended higher-level teachers for their teachings.

Motte’s statement on Friday said the new process is a trial run for district officials, allowing them to make adjustments before anything is finalized.

Stacy O’Connor and Ann Koper, along with other parents, said this caused a deep amount of mistrust with the community. They added that everyone is concerned about where they will go next and if higher- level classes will be cut in the process.

“Dr. Motte, I heard you apologize for the communication, but where is the responsibility for the action,” parent Russell Johnson said. “As I deal with a lot of these students on a daily basis, their action from not having a lot of those classes available to them threw them into a spiral.

“They want to know where they are going. There’s action that needs to be addressed more than communication. Can we afford to lose these kids to a different district? This is tradition. We have people come back to this school, who get hired here, put their blood, sweat and tears here, but you are failing in action.”

A letter written by 2023 co-valedictorians Aaliyah Rice and Bella Rizzuto and salutatorian Sydney Phillips was read to Motte and the school board. They strongly oppose the change and said advanced coursework plays a critical role in preparing students for post-secondary education.

They added that these courses help students develop higher-level critical thinking, along with analytical and study skills that are expected in higher education. Removing these opportunities may leave college- bound students underprepared for their academic needs after graduation.

“Eliminating these courses can place students at a disadvantage, which we know many Monessen children already are, particularly those who do not have access to equivalent programs elsewhere,” the letter states. “Maintaining advanced level classes affirms the school’s commitment to academic excellence and to supporting all their students in achieving their educational goals.”

Several more students and former students in attendance agreed, asking several questions about how this scheduling change would go about it.

Sophomore class vice president Isabella Grogan said the decision to cut advanced classes sets a low bar, discouraging students from striving for excellence, while also actively dismantling pathways to colleges and future careers.

“Monessen High School already struggles with this reputation,” Katwaroo said. “Eliminating advanced classes and electives only limits our potential to overcome that stigma. A new, modern Monessen should not mean removing the classes that make our school stronger and give our students chances.”

In other business:

• The school board adopted the Act 1 resolution for the 2026-27 fiscal year, certifying that the district will not increase taxes above the index of 5.1% set by the Pennsylvania Department of Education.

• The board approved raising the substitute teacher pay rate to $150 per day and the ESS substitute rate to $120 per day.