Jun 11, 2017 By Rachel Basinger for The 3 min read

Southmoreland School Board members passed a resolution Thursday night to cut nearly $400,000 from a deficit of more than $3 million in their proposed 2017-18 budget.

At a prior meeting, directors passed a proposed budget that showed expenditures of $32,606,611 and revenues of $29,245,713. It also showed a use of $3,360,898 from the approximate $6.6 million fund balance.

In a belt-tightening measure, directors asked the administration to come to their June 8 meeting with a list of additional expenditures that could be cut, and on Thursday, administrators presented cuts that included the loss of only two employee positions that became empty with the retirement of the individuals who had filled them in the 2016-17 school year.

A savings of $86,068 was shown with the retirement of an elementary teacher whose position will not be filled as well as a $66,555 savings with the retirement of a secretary who will not be replaced.

The cuts also show a savings of $99,200 with the retirement of elementary school principal John Lee. Administrators did not comment whether they will hire a new individual for the position at a lower salary or whether the duties will be rolled into the duties of another principal within the district.

Other cuts include reducing the purchase of maintenance supplies, eliminating repairs to the primary center gym floor, leasing a van rather than purchasing the vehicle, cutting back on secretary substitutes in all of the schools within the district, reducing legal services, cutting back on business office supplies, downgrading the superintendent’s copier, eliminating new housekeeping equipment, eliminating a child development field trip, cutting the school play and cutting supplies for the stage, learning support and gifted.

The total cut in expenditures equaled $381,580 and administrators added another $14,400 in revenue by pulling funds from the food service budget for maintenance costs, reducing the deficit by a total of $395,980.

The proposed budget will continue to use $2,964,918 from the fund balance.

All directors present voted in favor of the cuts, with the exception of Ken Alt.

“There’s a deficit over $2 million and we’ve cut maybe 20 percent,” Alt said. “These cuts are woefully short of what we need to be doing so I vote no.”

Director Aimee Love was absent from the meeting.

Business Manager James Marnell told directors that while it will not help them with the 2017-18 budget deficit, they might be able to see a savings of about $120,000 if they refinance their 2012 bond issue.

“If this is something you want to proceed with, we might be able to put it towards the 2018-19 debt service that’s around $180,000,” he said.

Before the meeting was adjourned, directors gave well wishes to Lee, who has been a principal at the elementary school for 26 and a half years.

Lee said he has worked in education for 39 years and said the right opportunity presented itself for him to retire now.

“You do it long enough, and you know one day you’ll have to go, but the opportunity presented itself, and I took advantage,” he said. “It was a nice ride. It’s going to be a big adjustment.”

Lee hopes to travel and continue his part-time job as a driver with Quest Transit.

“I’m just going to relax and watch the world go by,” he said.