Carmichaels’ school officials to use additional money for books, supplies computer software
CARMICHAELS – Having received an additional $202,617 in the district’s annual state subsidy, Carmichaels Area School Board added that money into the 2002-2003 budget and earmarked it for such items as textbooks, supplies and computer software. The school board last month approved a $10.99 million budget, taking into account the 1 percent increase in state funds proposed by Gov. Mark Schweiker. Once the state legislators approved the budget, Carmichaels actually got a 4.9-percent hike in state funds.
The new budget the board approved Thursday totaled $11.19 million.
Those school boards like Carmichaels that passed their budget before the state were charged with reopening their budgets to account for the actual state subsidy. Besides restoring cuts, they could use the money to lower or refund taxes or pay off debt.
Carmichaels directors had not raised taxes and kept the tax rate at 78 mills.
Superintendent James Zalar outlined proposed uses for the money, with the bulk of the funds going toward a variety of textbooks, including $76,035 for new biology textbooks. Zalar said the board would still need to approve the purchases, which director Michael Conte said after the meeting previously had been trimmed from the budget.
One of the items on the list got the board’s approval Thursday when they agreed to purchase about $51,000 in what was identified as MMS software for student assessment.
“This is student assessment tracking software that will allow teachers to identify strengths and weaknesses of students,” Zalar said.
He said the software also includes modules for scheduling, health records and attendance.
In conjunction with that software, Zalar said the district could use an electronic gradebook system that would be obtained if the district receives a $60,000 grant through the state Department of Education.
Zalar said tracking the student data is becoming more important with attention on the Pennsylvania System of School Assessment (PSSA) test scores and the new requirements for student achievement in the federal No Child Left Behind Act.
On a 4-3 vote, the school board at first denied application for the grant for the electronic gradebook, but approved it on the second attempt with a 5-2 vote.
Directors Linda Krajnak, J.L. Lechner, Annabelle Pratt and Conte voted no at first, while Conte and Pratt changed their votes to yes on the second successful motion to apply for the grant. Ron Ferek and Jerry Simkovic were absent.
Lechner had asked if faculty would get the time to learn how to use this technology and whether the effort would be included in contract negotiations. He said he did not think the school board should implement new programs and not give the faculty the time “to do what they need to do” to be proficient.
Zalar said in-service training is being planned.
Among other matters, the school board named H-T Capital Markets as investment banker to reissue about $8 million in existing bonds, in an apparent effort to save some money on the prior debt.
The vote was 5-2, with Conte and Krajnak voting no. Conte clarified his no vote, saying he did not think the tone of a letter from the firm to school board members was professional. There was some discussion about what H-T Capital Markets could do for the district, and a representative said the firm said he could not guarantee market conditions.
Conte, who heads the finance committee, said afterward that the school board hopes to net about $760,000 in cash when the bonds are refinanced. He said the committee would discuss how to use the savings, and that money could go to pay off further debt, cover capital expenses or add to the educational program.