Dec 20, 2006 By The 2 min read

The Southeastern Greene School Board will hold a special meeting Thursday, though no permanent appointment to the superintendent’s position is on the agenda. The board officially accepted the resignation of Dr. Philip Savini Jr. last week and appointed Mike Caruso, former district administrator and teacher, to fill the vacant spot. Savini recently announced he will resign as superintendent to accept a curriculum coordinator position with the Connellsville Area School District.

Caruso will hold the substitute superintendent position until the board decides on a permanent replacement after Savini’s Jan. 3 departure, according to Business Manager Patrick Sweeney. Savini is currently on leave from the district, confirmed Sweeney.

This Thursday’s meeting, which was called to discuss general business, will take place at 6:30 p.m. in the Mapletown Junior Senior High School cafeteria.

Caruso was hired by the district several months ago as a consultant to help oversee transitioning the Penn Pitt facility in Greensboro from a shuttered elementary school into a learning center for special needs students.

Caruso’s contract with the district will expire at the end of this calendar year, said Sweeney.

In other district news, the board has yet to accept a recommendation from its tax study commission to increase residents’ earned income tax by an additional .46 percent, which would provide the minimum amount of property tax relief for qualifying properties as outlined under Pennsylvania’s Act 1.

The board has until March 13 to either accept the commission’s recommendation or to form another proposal for a referendum vote in the May primary election.

The proposed earned income tax increase equates to $192 in property tax relief per eligible residence, with a household yearly earning of $40,000 being the break-even point where a homeowner would neither pay more nor experience any property tax relief, noted Sweeney.