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Curwensville school board reviews items for meeting
Friday, June 15, 2012
By Dianne Byers Staff Writer
CURWENSVILLE - At last night's Curwensville Area School Board work session, board members reviewed the following for possible action at Monday's meeting:
• adopting the 2012-13 budget that contains no tax increase. Projected figures for the spending plan include an opening balance of $3,287,392 left from close of the 2011-12 school year and revenue of $14,491,721 for total income of $17,775,113. The breakdown of the revenue is $3,505,211 in local funds, $10,075,083 in state stipends and $911,427 in federal aid.
Dr. Norman Hatten, superintendent of schools, said last night, the only change to the proposed budget approved by the board last month is the school district now has an actual number for federal Title I and Title II aid and an additional $5,491 in the federal funds was included to the figure the board tentatively approved.
Expenses are expected to be $15,444,394 leaving a balance of $2,334,719 to start the 2013-14 school year. The breakdown of expenses are salaries, $6,681,300; benefits, $3,701,107; instruction, $1,983,313; administrative and the business office, $155,576; support services, $889,141; operation of the school buildings, $520,078; and miscellaneous, $1,513,879.
• accepting state gaming revenue that will be deducted from the property tax bill of residents who are eligible for a homestead or farmstead exclusion. The district will receive $352,053.51. It has 2,021 eligible homesteads and farmsteads that will each receive a real estate tax reduction of $161.26.
• increasing paid full-lunch prices by 50 cents across the board making elementary lunches $1.75 each, high school lunches, $2 and adult lunches $3. The cost for a la carte items will also increase. Reduced price student lunch prices will remain at 40 cents each.
Vickie Bunnell, cafeteria manager, and Paul Carr, district business manager, told the board the increase is needed to help offset the rising costs of food and reduced amounts of commodities provided by the federal government. There will also be increased costs associated with meeting the new federal nutritional guidelines for school lunches that go into effect July 1.
Carr told the board it is likely it will now have to evaluate school lunch prices each year. He also noted that with local economic conditions there may be additional families who qualify for reduced priced meals and the district office will gladly help families fill out the forms to determine whether their children are eligible.
• purchasing the annual general insurance package policy from the Pennsylvania School Boards Association at a cost of $32,278 and a worker's compensation package from Highmark Casualty of $60,886. Carr said the Highmark package was slightly more expensive than one from PSBA; however, Highmark provides a plan to control or reduce future costs. Highmark also has contracts with many local providers, he said, noting PSBA may not.
• canceling the July work session and business meeting and authorizing payment of July's bills.
• contracting with Central Intermediate Unit No. 10 to provide a literacy coach and data liaison to meet requirements for the district's Keystone to Opportunities Literacy grant.
The board will meet Monday at 7:30 p.m. for its monthly business meeting. The meeting will be held at the administrative offices' conference room.
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