AG school board passes tentative budget
SMITHFIELD — Albert Gallatin School Board approved a tentative budget Wednesday that does not call for a tax increase, but could result in larger class sizes throughout the district.
Members voted 5-4 for the $48,463,014 preliminary budget, with directors Edward Andria, David Howard, Ken Plisko, William Boni and Edward Colebank approving and directors John Kopas III, Jeff Myers, Ed Sutton and Janet Swaney opposing.
According to district Superintendent Carl Bezjak, the budget reflects some possible cuts to programs that could increase class size, but he said without knowing what funding the district will receive from the state, the budget is only a “worst case scenario.”
“Because the state says we have to pass this tentative budget, we do. But we are still working the numbers, waiting for it to play out and waiting for more information from the state,” Bezjak said. “Until then, this is the extreme. The last thing I want to do is increase class size, but I might not be able to prevent it.”
Bezjak said district officials do not plan to completely eliminate any programs, but there may be downsizing in some of the programs.
He noted that 60 teachers in the district were notified of a possible furlough, which could mean an elimination of the position or under furlough status, teachers could be moved into other positions.
“This puts a lot of unneeded anxiety on my teachers’ lives,” he said. “It’s a standard process the state says we have to follow, but I know the letter is pretty damaging. We are looking everywhere for cuts, and we are going to get back at it. Hopefully, we won’t have to furlough anybody.”
Bezjak said the move by the board to implement a tax increase for 2011-12 and the furloughing of 24 teachers and a few other district employees this past year aided in holding the line on taxes and eased the burden somewhat for next year’s budget.
Also at the meeting, directors approved a resolution curtailing and altering the programs outlined in contract and furloughing, demoting or not renewing the necessary number of teachers beginning with the 2012-13 school term.
On Wednesday, directors also learned that the single audit report for the year ending June 30, 2009, was reviewed and approved by Connie L. Derr, audit coordinator of the Pennsylvania Department of Education’s Bureau of Budget and Fiscal Management. The findings show that the district was in compliance.