AG budget shortfall at $1.6 million
In order to balance the 2002-2003 budget, Albert Gallatin Area School Board would need to make nearly $1.6 million in cuts. The school board recently approved a tentative budget in the amount of $36,752,339, with a shortfall between revenues and expenses of $1,598,000.
“The board’s considering all the options, as far as providing for that deficit. We’re going to continue to look at any areas we can trim,” substitute superintendent Walter Vicinelly said.
The board is expected to take a final vote at its next regular business meeting, set for Wednesday, June 19. Members have until the end of June to adopt a budget.
The current property tax rate is 51.8 mills. If the board made no further changes to the tentative budget and used only a tax increase to eliminate the deficit, the school board would need about 14.5 mills, based on one mill bringing in about $110,312 in revenue.
Vicinelly said the board, at this point in the budget process, has tried to maintain programs and smaller class sizes.
However, about $240,000 has already been cut from proposed spending for textbooks and supplies.
Vicinelly said there is a cycle for purchasing textbooks and the district is trimming back this year on such purchases, a move he said is in line with an ongoing redesign of the curriculum to meet state academic standards.
The district also will not participate in the coming year with the Read to Succeed program.
Vicinelly said this is the third year of a three-year grant the district received for the special reading program that concerns kindergarten through third grades.
He said the district was set to receive about $67,000, but would have to spring for the other three-fourths of the program’s cost.
This program affects four Read to Succeed teachers who Vicinelly said could be absorbed through attrition and retirements.
He said the district is also looking for funds through the federal No Child Left Behind Act to replace Read to Succeed.
“Obviously, we would like to explore other options like that,” he said.
Vicinelly said it is also unknown what the state will give the district in education subsidies as the state budget has not yet been adopted. Gov. Mark Schweiker proposed a 1- percent increase in the subsidies statewide but school officials have asked for more.
In other recent business, the school board voted in favor of directing the superintendent to initiate layoffs of the five least seniored elementary teachers pursuant to the collective bargaining agreement with the teachers’ union.
Vicinelly clarified the vote was not to lay off these teachers but to give advance notification. He said the notification is a requirement of the contract and must come in advance of any possible layoffs.
He said the move was made because of the curtailment of the Read to Succeed program and a drop in enrollment and conditions exist for possible layoffs of up to five teachers.
In another personnel move, the school board agreed to enter into a memorandum of understanding with the teachers’ union on the new retirement package which Vicinelly sa id asks that those teachers who plan to retire under the new contract that takes effect Aug. 15 give the school district an early notice.
Vicinelly said the earlier the retirements are made known, the better the school board and administration will be able to plan for the next school year.
Among further matters, the school board awarded Steve Sefcik the midnight custodian position at A.G. North Middle School and Nancy Brooks the three-hour cafeteria position at D. Ferd Swaney Elementary School.
They hired Louise Weslosky as a two-hour cafeteria employee at Friendship Hill Elementary School and Cindy Black as a two-hour cafeteria employee at A.L. Wilson Elementary School.
The board granted permission to post/advertise two new learning support positions, one each at the high school and A.G. South Middle School.
They hired Stephen Bowers as a life skills instructor at Masontown Elementary School and Matthew Shea Fleenor as learning support instructor at the high school. Fleenor was also hired as head girls’ basketball coach at the high school.
They named Dominic Galluzzo the principal at D. Ferd Swaney Elementary School and accepted the retirement of principal Nancy Hannon.
They also reassigned James Patitucci as A.G. North Middle School principal.