A study done by the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review shows that Baldwin-Whitehall School District teachers were absent from only 1.81 percent of classroom time during the 2011-12 school year.

That percentage, the lowest in the seven-county Pittsburgh region, is well below the national average of 5.3 percent.

Using substitutes to offset days missed by any of Baldwin-Whitehall's 289 teachers cost the district $94,300 this past school year, the Tribune-Review reported, or 0.3 percent of local real estate taxes.

The article states—you can read it in its entirety here—"In an era of dwindling education funding, the Trib analysis fueled an ongoing debate between teachers, who say they're entitled to time off from jobs that have become increasingly stressful, and critics, who claim absenteeism compounds districts' financial woes and hinders student achievement.

"'Learning shuts down on those days (when a regular teacher is out),' said Cheryl Boise of the Commonwealth Education Organization, a Harrisburg nonprofit. 'You're paying two people, and there is no learning, period. It's really baby-sitting.'"

At a Baldwin-Whitehall School Board meeting on Wednesday night, district Superintendent Dr. Randal A. Lutz commended B-W's teachers for ranking so high (or low, depending on how you look at it) on the Trib's list.

Read through other Baldwin-Whitehall School Board items here.

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