CATAWISSA R.R. - Unlike last year, staffing will remain the same at Southern Columbia Area School District as it prepares to pass its 2015-16 operating budget.
On Monday, the district's school board passed a proposed final budget, a $20,117,674,07 spending plan, on a 7-1 vote. The budget will be open for a 30-day examination period by the public and must be passed by the district on June 30.
Earlier in the meeting, superintendent Paul Caputo said staffing will remain at its current level, a far cry from last year when the district had to furlough three teachers to make its 2014-2015 budget.
This year, expenditures are up $1.3 million while revenue is up $924,000 to $19,711,261.13.
The budget leaves Southern with a $406,000 deficit which business manager Charles Mannello proposes to fill with money from the district's unassigned fund balance.
"We currently have approximately $700,000 in the unassigned fund balance and $800,000 in the assigned fund balance. Even if we use the money to eliminate the deficit, we still have $1 million in the bank," Mannello said.
Under the Act 1 tax index, property taxes will increase 1.05 mills ($32 increase) for residents in Columbia County and 1.39 mills ($35 increase) in Northumberland County.
Director Charlie Porter cast the lone dissenting vote, due to the fact the board has not seen a proposed athletic fund budget yet.
"In the past, we have normally given a payment of $285,000 to the athletic fund, and now in our budget, the payment is proposed to be $326,000," Porter said. "There is no justification for the increase."
Mannello said that the board will have the athletic fund budget by the June 4 finance committee meeting and that they will continue to work to try to balance the budget further to lower the amount needed to be taken out of the fund balance.
Voting for the budget were directors Joe Klebon, Thomas Reich, John Yocum, Michael Yeager, Kaye Keller, Charlene Cove and Gail Zambor Schuerch. Director Timothy Vought was absent.
In other business:
- The board approved to continue the pay-to participate fee of $50 per student for the 2015-16 school year, and the list of activities that are subject to the fee.
Activities listed are all varsity and JV sports, ski club, Drama Club, Jazz Band, Musical and choral director activities, and bandfront. A change this year was to add Future Business Leaders of America to the exempt list.
- A resolution was adopted for the Columbia-Montour Vo-Tech to approve a bond refinance and continue a leasing agreement for the school. This agreement must be approved by all seven schools with the vo-tech.
Superintendent Paul Caputo said that if the bond refinancing goes through it will mean a savings of $10,000 to the district.
- Resignations were accepted for part-time paraprofessional Cindy McHugh, bus drivers Marie Bartholomew and Alan Langelli, technology education teacher Joshua Grozier, and head field hockey coach Tricia Hoffman.
- A new two-year employment agreement, through 2017 was approved for athletic director Jim Roth, at an initial salary of $28,000.
- Appointments made at Monday's meeting included naming Charlene Cove as board treasurer for an annual stipend of $240, which she asked to donate to the music program; Richard J. Roberts as school solicitor at a rate of $105 an hour and Tresa Britch as board secretary from July 1, 2014, to June 30, 2018, at an annual salary of $3,000.
- Britch was also asked to send a notice of reasonable assurance of employment for the 2015-16 school year to non-instructional employees and substitutes employed less than 12 months.