Carmichaels board OKs 2002-03 budget
CARMICHAELS – Carmichaels Area School District plans to spend a little more in the 2002-2003 fiscal year than the year that comes to a close June 30 and still make no change in the current property tax rate. The school board Thursday adopted a final budget that totaled $10.99 million, $57,973 over the 2001-2002 budget. They kept the tax rate at 78 mills for the fifth consecutive year, covering a $561,000 shortfall between projected expenses and revenue by dipping into the $1.5 million fund balance.
President Ron Ferek was among the directors who acknowledged the finance committee and administrators for their work on preparing the budget.
“In this year when most districts around us are facing dire circumstances, we are holding our own,” Ferek said.
The final spending plan came out about $30,000 to $40,000 higher than the tentative budget the board passed last month because of adjustments for federal programs, said business manager Vince Belczyk.
The school board, in the past few years, has used the fund balance to balance the budget. However, Belczyk noted after the meeting that there was no need after all to take the $700,000 they planned to use from the fund balance in this latest fiscal year.
Related votes got unanimous approval from the five school board members present for Thursday’s meeting until director Ken Ganocy voted against the $5 Act 511 per capita tax. The one no vote on that item could have negated the budget itself, Superintendent James Zalar said.
According to the discussion, a majority of the entire board of nine members would be needed to pass such items as the budget and related taxes, so one no vote would result in a failed motion. The budget was prepared with all of the taxes intact as the revenue to support the expenses, so one item like the Act 511 per capita tax could result in an unbalanced budget.
Ganocy said he does not agree with the per capita tax but would vote in its favor for the sake of the budget. He voted yes on a second attempt.
Directors Michael Conte, Linda Krajnak, J.L. Lechner and Annabelle Pratt were excused from the meeting, leaving Ferek, Ganocy, Robert O. Hathaway, Richard Krause Jr. and Jerry Simkovic in attendance.
In other business, the board approved full-day kindergarten that will start this fall.
Elementary Principal Terry Ganocy thanked the directors for their approval.
He said parents were surveyed a few years ago and most wanted full-day kindergarten.
Assistant Principal Craig Baily said he talked to parents Thursday morning who were all in favor of this idea.
Krause said research has stated such factors as academic achievement, social and behavioral growth are positively affected by full-day kindergarten.
Further, the school board accepted the resignation of Richard Gency as a social studies teacher, transferred Robert Palmer from an elementary to a secondary social studies position and hired Cindy Dawson as a personal care attendant.
They eliminated instrumental music instruction in fourth grade at the instructor’s recommendation and eliminated a section of third grade because of small enrollment. They also retracted a previous motion, now agreeing that employees do not have to wear identification badges.