Uniontown board ponders budget cuts
The Uniontown Area School Board Tuesday heard from the district’s business manager and head of the finance committee about possible reductions in spending in the 2006-07 budget. The board could approve the final budget at the regular monthly board meeting scheduled for June 19 at 6:30 p.m. in the high school band room.
According to business manager Floyd Geho and chair of the finance committee Bill Rittenhouse, the tentative spending plan calls for cuts in the following areas: $150,000 in high school math books; $20,000 in the district’s athletic program; $200,000 in technology and $50,000 in buildings and grounds.
“We felt we could cut (these expenses) and not jeopardize these programs for the coming school year,” said Geho.
Cutting $200,000 from the driver’s education program also was suggested, but school district Superintendent Dr. Charles Machesky said he doesn’t recommend it since there are no open positions in which to place the two drivers education teachers.
He said he would recommend abolishing the program if the two teachers retired.
Some or all of the suggested cuts are necessary to achieve a balanced budget without a tax increase.
“Our challenge was to come up with a balanced budget with no tax increase and that is essentially what you have before you,” Rittenhouse told the board.
The district’s current millage rate is 13 mills, which translates into taxpayers paying $130 in taxes for every $10,000 in assessed property value.
Rittenhouse said the district’s fund balance, estimated at $500,000, is relatively low. The fund balance and revenues from taxes equals an estimated $37.1 million. Expenses are estimated at $37 million, the majority of costs in salaries. About 68 percent of the budget is comprised of salaries, said Geho.
He also noted that insurance coverage increased by $10,000 and the premium went up 18 percent. Geho noted the district realized a $72,000 savings from three teacher retirements, their positions not being replaced.
“We have to make some decisions that may not be pretty, but necessary,” said Rittenhouse about the budget.
After the board officially scrapped the $43 million high school renovation and construction plan last week, the board Tuesday revisited the issue of seeking Requests for Proposals (RFPs) for a consultant to evaluate the needs of the high school and formulate a cost to present to the board.
The board voted down a motion for RFPs made by Board President Ron Machesky at the last special meeting.
Machesky said that one of the ideas from members of the Citizens Group committee, which is still in the process of being formed, Tuesday night was to seek RFPs.
Concerning the project, the board also asked questions of Uniontown city Code Enforcement Officer Myron Nypaver on hand at the meeting.
Nypaver noted that while issues of items not being drawn up to code existed with the original $43 million plan, he is awaiting on the board’s decision to see if those issues exist with a redesigned set of plans and how they can be addressed. Part of the plan review process is to find such issues, he added.