May 26, 2004 By Steve Ostrosky 4 min read

The Laurel Highlands School Board approved a tentative 2004-05 budget Tuesday totaling $35.7 million that directors said they will work on the next few weeks to trim. The $35,733,193 expenditure budget does not include any revenue amounts, as the amount of basic education subsidy and special education subsidy has not yet been determined by the state.

Superintendent Dr. Ronald Sheba called the budget “very tentative,” noting that a tax increase was not factored into the budget, but has not been ruled out.

“Part of our problem at Laurel Highlands is that we don’t receive as much state aid ratio as other districts in the county, so any increases will require more local revenue,” he said. “We are going to be creative in stretching the dollars and try to forecast the best we can.”

Sheba said salaries and benefits are the major cost increases that made the tentative budget $2.74 million higher than the current $32,992,000 spending plan. The board voted to approve the budget with the stipulation that it not exceed $35,733,193, but finance committee chairman Tom Vernon said the committee will meet June 7 to begin work on trimming expenses where it can.

According to the plan, the district has estimated $15,873,937 in proposed instructional expenditures, $3,371,511 for special education, $3,529,335 in physical plant operations, $2,214,179 in administration support services, and $1,691,655 in other instructional programs.

The board voted unanimously to approve the tentative budget, and selected June 24 as the date of the budget’s final adoption.

The finance committee will meet June 7 at 5 p.m. in the administration building, and the board may call a special meeting following that session if necessary.

In another financial matter, the board voted to float a $7.5 million bond issue for elementary school remodeling projects.

The school board narrowly approved a plan in March to operate four elementary schools this fall and send students from Kennedy Elementary to both Hutchinson and Marshall elementary schools. The bond issue will cover a planned addition and renovation to Hutchinson and an addition to Marshall and other construction projects, according to the board’s motion.

Directors Angelo Giachetti and Cathy Rice passed on voting for the bond issue.

The board also took other action related to Hutchinson, authorizing solicitor Gary Frankhouser to seek appraisals on three properties near the school the district is interested in purchasing to improve access to the school.

Frankhouser said the district architect and engineer have already submitted surveys and recommendations in advance of obtaining appraisals. The board also authorized Frankhouser to move forward with negotiations to purchase the properties once appraisals are complete.

Directors Beverly Beal, Mary Conway, Shirley Kefover and Giachetti voted against the motion, and also voted against a motion to seek appraisals for Kennedy Elementary to determine fair market value.

Students and teachers are spending their last week in Kennedy, and the board will take a final vote to close the school in July. Should the district choose to sell the school building if the board votes to close, the process would have to be done by sealed bid or public auction.

Sheba said Tuesday that seeking appraisals will help the district get an idea about the value of the school if it is sold by bids or auction.

The board also voted to hire Triad Engineering of Morgantown, W.Va., to consult with the district on slope problems at the baseball field.

William Martin, buildings and grounds director, said recent rainfall has caused the slope above the field to continue sliding and a portion of fence near the track is in jeopardy of collapsing down the hill.

“Every time it rains, I fear for it,” Martin said. “The board has to do something quickly or else it will fall and you will have a bigger expense.”