In its first meeting after passing a preliminary budget, the Boyertown Area School Board discussed ways to reduce the potential 6-percent tax increase included in the 2015-16 budget.
A few suggestions were made Tuesday, Feb. 24, while several board members reminded each other and those watching that they will not allow a 6-percent increase become the final product of the budget. The discussion included a debate as to whether the board or administrators would be in charge of bridging the deficit.
“The administration has had their day in court to come up with a budget and we got a 6 percent tax increase. I plan to make my own list,” said board member Robert Caso.
“It’s all of our responsibilities to turn every stone,” answered board member John Landino.
One drastic solution posed by Paul Stengle – halting the $61 million high school renovation. He did recognize that it was, perhaps, an unattainable solution.
“I’ve been told it’s too late to modify the agreement,” Stengle said.
Board Vice President Jill Dennin said the only way to eliminate a tax increase would be cutting personnel and programs, a measure she personally would not support.
The board did discuss whether the district could save money by rejoining the Berks County Schools Health Consortium, instead of remaining self-insured. Stengle questioned the 2010 decision to leave the consortium and estimated that rejoining could save approximately $600,000.
“Let’s dive into that,” board President Stephen Elsier said.
The budget will likely face drastic changes based on the school funding formula Gov. Tom Wolf will announce in March.
Nathan Mains, the executive director of the Pennsylvania School Board Association, was at the meeting to give a presentation. He said he had “high hopes” for the governor’s budget address March 3. However, he also made a plea for the board to voice its budget struggles to legislators in Harrisburg.
“It is going to take every one of the 500 districts in the state pushing hard for reform,” Mains said. “These are real challenges and we need to demand real change.”
In other news:* The board approved the calendar for the 2015-2016 school year. The first day of school will be Aug. 31, and the last will be June 7. There are three snow days built into the school year. There will be 15 early dismissal days: Sept. 30, Oct. 30, Nov. 23, 24, 25, Dec. 23, Jan. 27, Feb. 10, 24, March 23, April 1 and June 2, 3, 6 and 7.
* The district’s sessions to include the community in the process of creating a comprehensive plan was up against winter weather on Feb. 17, but still had a decent turnout, according to Robert Scoboria, assistant superintendent. There were 53 attendees at the full-day session and 22 at the evening session. There were also 29 students involved in the student session. The participants learned how to collect information from the community and peers to evaluate trends and priorities for the district.
