Pleasant Valley School District hasn’t made it public how many teachers, if any, have volunteered to take a retirement incentive. The teachers’ deadline to notify the school district of their intentions was March 7.

The teachers were notified in February about the retirement incentive.

The district was looking for 30 teachers to take the incentive, but a modification to the retirement incentive was passed by the school board at their meeting on Thursday. The district didn’t say what was in the modification either, but Drew Dymond, the president of the Pleasant Valley Education Association, said he thinks they have reached the minimum number.

“I believe we have hit the new minimum number of 15 retirees to trigger the retirement incentive,” he said. “The deadline for the retirement incentive is March 14.”

In addition to those retiring, the district is looking at resignations. The school board accepted the resignation on Thursday night of the music teacher at the intermediate school.

SarahJean Rotenberger has decided to call it quits. She directed the beginner band called the Cub Band, as well as the Bear Band.

Parent Danielle Serfass of Eldred Township said at the meeting she was upset about Rotenberger resigning.

“I’m just very upset that you have somebody like Mrs. Rotenberger that is leaving the Pleasant Valley Intermediate School. This is a woman that last year over Zoom played every instrument with every child,” she said. Rotenberger has more than 200 students.

“This woman is always on the furlough list,” Serfass said. “We are losing teachers that we should not lose.”

Serfass is concerned about what will happen to the students, because these are kids that could go on to band in middle school and high school. She said the intermediate school hasn’t had a music program for a while, and she hopes the school district will hire someone to replace Rotenberger.

“We have to keep this music program alive for these kids,” she said.

Serfass said she hopes the school board will come out for the students concert in April. Rotenberger is staying on until after the concert is held. Her resignation is effective as of April 29.