Tentative LH budget at $31.8 million
The Laurel Highlands School Board has passed a tentative spending plan for 2002-2003 in the amount of $31.8 million, representing about a 3 percent increase over this year’s expenses. The school board Monday passed the tentative budget for the upcoming fiscal year by a unanimous vote and set June 26 at 7 p.m. for final adoption.
However, school officials said they had no idea what to expect in revenues for the upcoming year and could not say whether the school board may need to raise taxes to cover costs.
“We anticipate some pretty severe cuts (before final adoption),” solicitor Gary Frankhouser said.
The total expenses for regular programs are projected at $15.6 million and for special education at $2.6 million. Other large categories of spending include $1.9 million for administration services, $2.8 million for operation and maintenance services and $2.8 million for debt service.
Superintendent Dr. Ronald Sheba said the big unknown on the revenue side is what the state will hand down in educational subsidies this year since the state budget has yet to be adopted.
Educators statewide have asked for a raise in the state’s allocation and several proposals have come down to replace Gov. Mark Schweiker’s proposed budget that includes a 1 percent increase in basic education funding for schools.
Further, the school board authorized a loan of $770,000 from the district’s general obligation bonds to the general fund. The board also authorized the solicitor and the district’s bond counsel to petition the Fayette County Court of Common Pleas for new, unfunded debt.
Frankhouser said the loan from the bond funds is a temporary move for cash flow purposes and the petition to the court for unfunded debt in an as yet unspecified amount is to cover unforeseen factors and added expenses in the current budget such as a shortfall in the mercantile tax income, reduction of property assessments in the district and increased insurances and workers’ compensation.
The school board last year at budget time adopted a spending plan of $28.6 million for 2001-2002 and raised taxes at that time by 1.5 mills, leaving the current real estate tax rate at 46.30 mills.
In comparison to what was initially passed, this budget is estimated to total $30.6 million when the fiscal year draws to a close June 30.
The school board last month went in search of a consultant to help prepare the new budget in the wake of a audit for the year that ended June 30, 2001 that revealed the school district had a negative unreserved fund balance of more than $790,000.
The school board at a recent special meeting instead of hiring such a consultant named a former employee of the school district, Joyce Estocak, to replace retiring business manager Ronald Aikins.
In other business, the school board accepted a number of retirements that go into effect May 30.
Retiring are Mary Anne Hritz, 42 years of service, third grade teacher at Hutchinson Elementary School; Cecelia Klimko, 39 years of service, second grade teacher, Hutchinson; Rama Kay Snyder-Miller, 40 years of service, music teacher in the junior high school; G. Duane Cramer, 21 years of service, math teacher at the high school; Sharon Rosendale, 33 years of service, English teacher at the high school; and Larry Smith, 35 years of service, elementary music.
The school board also accepted the retirement of Silvio Poli as head custodian at the high school, effective May 20 after 12 years of service.
Meanwhile at a work session prior to the regular business meeting Monday, food service director Gene Doria asked the school board to consider raising elementary and secondary cafeteria meals by 10 cents each for the upcoming school years. He said the raise would add bring in about $23,000 to the cafeteria fund.
School board members discussed interviewing candidates for the high school principal opening in June, saying they have one candidate from within and two from outside the school district.
Principal Michael Carbonara gave his notice of retirement last month.