At its meeting on June 25th the Mountain View School Board adopted a budget for the fiscal year beginning July 1st that is slightly lower than last year, but still projects spending at nearly $21.5 million, paying for a shortfall from expected income of about $1.7 million by spending down its fund balance, leaving just over $200,000 by the end of the new fiscal year. Even so, the new budget requires a property tax increase of 2.8%, the maximum allowed by the state without a referendum.
Business Manager Thomas Witiak didn't highlight the dramatic drop in the fund balance, but did concede that, while "there is always a gap" between revenues and expenses, there will be a smaller margin to fund such a budget next year. He said that some $100,000 was cut in the last weeks from the preliminary budget, in large part from the maintenance department. The budget also includes about $100,000 for fuel oil that, with the biomass boilers now in use, may not be needed. Mr. Witiak said that the new budget also reflects changes introduced with the new teachers' contract.
Mr. Witiak said that revenue is up slightly, but income from the state is expected to rise by only about $30,000. Mr. Witiak also said that about $100,000 that the District receives from royalties on natural gas production is not included in the budget. Last month, Board members suggested some special handling for that money.
Debt service payments are not directly referenced in the documents available supporting the budget, but are expected to be significant. The District recently floated about $10 million in bonds to pay for the major renovation at the Elementary School now in progress. Interest payments on that debt could be as high as $250,000 per year. Documents show that the District is carrying a total of about $18 million in long-term debt. An account labeled "Interfund Transfers/Other Uses of Funds" does, however, show an expense of just over $1 million for next year.
Food service is not included in the general fund budget, but some of those "Interfund Transfers" probably go to that. Outgoing Board Treasurer Edward Napierkowski reported that the cafeteria ended the month of May over $50,000 in the red; the general fund "loans" such amounts to the food service fund and are written off at year's end.
Mr. Napierkowski reported that the District spent $1.4 million out of the general fund in May, disbursing a total of just over $1.1 million for all funds. He then yielded his role to the newest Board member, Dan Very who takes over supervision of the District's major funds. The Board also voted to move money from the general fund to debt service for a July 1 bond payment of nearly $50,000.
Among other items, the Board:
- Approved an agreement with Bayada, an agency based in New Jersey, to provide temporary nursing staff, including this summer.
- Approved an agreement with PA Treatment and Healing, based in Williamsport, for alternative education services for disruptive students.
- Hired Jan Price as the new Athletic Director.
- Accepted the Pennsylvania School Boards Association's "Principles for Governance and Leadership," that Superintendent Karen Voigt said was less a policy than a set of ideals to strive for.
- Approved an agreement with Asset, Inc., a Pittsburgh-based company that supplies science module materials for ASSET STEM science and technology programs.
- Approved summer school for this year. High School Principal Robert Presley expects about 10 students. Summer school is for high school students in jeopardy of failing. The "extended school year" programs are summer programs primarily for children with special needs.
The Board "re"-approved the school calendar for next year, required largely because of changes in the new teacher contract. For example, parent-teacher meetings will now be considered part of the workday, and the teachers' service requirement has been reduced from 186 to 184 days. It also moves "meet the teacher" back a week to accommodate the construction project.
As everyone who visits the campus can see, the major project to renovate the Elementary School got off to a fast start. So far it is on schedule, per Maintenance overlord Robert Taylor, but the project timeline is tight. Mr. Taylor said that workers had already removed 3 dump truck loads of flooring, with more to go. He said the old boilers are already gone, with the new ones to arrive shortly. He encouraged listeners to visit the District website to see pictures of the project's progress. He assured Board members that the company running the project, Energy Systems Group, has promised $80,000-$90,000 in savings per year for the first 3 years, and they "have to prove it" or get dinged.
Administrators reported on the 4 days of training conducted immediately following the close of the school year. The days were packed with training on "active shooter" emergencies, crisis de-escalation methods, PBIS (Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports), using the EpiPen, and "Stop the Bleed." That last one has a special advocate on the Board. David Schulte would like every senior to take the 1½-hour course in how to control bleeding in an emergency – the closest person is always the real "first responder," he said. Administrators will be taking additional training in dealing with an active shooter later in July.
Assuring Board members that she was "not purchasing anything," new Special Services Director Stephanie Anuszewski offered an overview of some new life-skills education methods she is working on. They will be trying to grade life skills activities in order to show "functional performance" in individual education plans.
Ms. Voigt reported that nearly 100% of the District's staff took part in some of the training following the end of classes. The District is considering having a "risk assessment" completed, and she hopes to fund a "school resource officer" (SRO – an armed policeman on site) through grants from the "Safe Schools" initiative of the state Department of Education.
Toward the end of the session, a bus contractor confronted the Board, asking why the lowest bidder was not chosen for the shuttle buses. Board President Michael Barhite acknowledged that the Board chose contractors it was familiar and comfortable with, implying that the lowest bid was not the only criterion used in awarding a contract. Then why solicit bids at all, he was asked, especially since the bids are not opened in public. Mr. Barhite admitted that bids were opened "behind closed doors" by Mr. Witiak. For his part, Mr. Witiak said that he had no problem with opening the bids in public, but that some of them were considered "internal" bids, some "external."
Mr. Barhite closed the meeting with announcements of executive sessions, "for personnel reasons," he said. Prodded for more information, he said the one prior to the public meeting was to discuss Act 93 negotiations. Act 93 covers compensation for administrators.
The next public meeting of the Mountain View School Board is scheduled for Monday, July 9, 2018 beginning at 7:00pm, or thereabouts. With the Elementary School closed for the summer, meetings will be held elsewhere. This time, the meeting was in the library in the High School.
Disclosure: The writer owns property, and pays taxes, in the Mountain View School District.