Decrease in funds has schools scrambling
School districts throughout the state may have to tighten their belts even more after the state scaled back on the amount of funding promised for the 2010-11 academic term. This year, the state Department of Education approved, on time, a budget that included a $250 million increase for basic education. When the federal government reduced the amount given to the state, Gov. Ed Rendell called for a cut of $50 million to education to balance the state budget, reducing the increase to $200 million. The lower amount ultimately leaves local school officials scrambling to adjust to the smaller increase after district budgets already had been approved.
Brownsville Area School District will lose about $70,000 from its budget because of the decrease in funding from the state.
District business manager Edward Yorke said while the loss is a substantial amount, the district was prepared.
“When we met with the state last January or February, they gave us one figure of how much we would get. Then, at another meeting, the amount changed,” he said. “They were never accurate with their figures, so we knew closer to June that they weren’t going to come through with the amount they had originally promised.”
Yorke said he and district officials worked to be proactive to the anticipated amount awarded by the state. The district was able to save $200,000 through the development of an alternative education program. Additionally, the district began a working safety committee, which afforded it a $42,000 reimbursement from the insurance company. They also put a hold on ordering all supplies until a thorough inventory could be conducted.
“It’s a letdown though. There is nothing more mind-boggling than to be told you are expecting one amount and receive another amount,” he said. “The state put us behind the eight ball. We could have been that much further ahead if we made these cuts and got the money originally offered. But we can’t control what Harrisburg does or what they offer.”
Laurel Highlands School District still doesn’t know how it will be affected by the anticipated reduction in state funding, but business manager Greg Hensh said it most likely would mean less of a fund balance for the district.
“We’ve had a strong fund balance, and we try to maintain that,” Hensh said. “We’re obviously tightening our belt and scrutinizing things early on. That’s something I try to do every year.”
Southeastern Greene School District, which operates on a $10 million budget, will see a $20,000 loss in state funding. Originally, the district was expecting $100,000 from the increase, but according to business manager Patrick Sweeney, the loss isn’t enough to make much of an impact.
“We weren’t happy about the cut, but I am just glad they at least passed a budget in a reasonable time frame this year,” Sweeney said. “At least we have something that we can count on even though it was less than expected. I still see that as a positive thing.”
California Area School District is keeping a tight fist on the budget while waiting for final figures from the state.
“We know we’re getting less, but we don’t have our final numbers yet. We’re just watching the budget,” said business manager Tracy Harris. “We’re looking at some preliminary numbers $117,000 less than what we had initially anticipated.”
The school board in August voted down a previously approved program with Carnegie Science Center that would involve sending students into Pittsburgh for several days. The item is back on the agenda for the September meeting.
“The board is just taking it one day at a time,” Harris said. “We’re going to hold steady with what we have until the final numbers come in.”
Harris said the district had anticipated receiving as much as $5,912,000 from the state for basic education, but that figure could drop to $5,874,000 or less.
Harris said she isn’t convinced that the state is finished with funding cuts this year.
Attempts to reach other school districts in the tri-county area were unsuccessful.
Staff writer Christine Haines contributed to this report.