By MARISSA DECHANT
Staff writer
Franklin Area School District board discussed possible solutions to the looming $1.2 million budget deficit Monday for the 2017-2018 school year.
Last month, the board voted 7-1 for a preliminary budget with a 3.5 percent tax increase, which would decrease the deficit from $1,234,828 to $903,919.
“We’re making some progress and making tweaks here and there. The deficit is still at $1.2 million,” said the board’s business manager Jackie Dutchcot.
Dutchcot said the district stands to lose an additional $21,271 from its general operating budget, comparing it to the over $30,000 each that Oil City and Titusville school districts are looking to lose.
Those funds could be made up by selling a maintenance van and transportation van owned by the district, which are both valued at around $60,000, Dutchcot said.
Governor Tom Wolf’s proposed state budget could also cut $100 million from the Basic Education Funding Commission and $25 million in special education programs, Dutchcot said.
Board president Brian Spaid said the district could potentially follow in the footsteps of Redbank Valley School District, which approved a motion earlier this month to create a fund raising mandate that would pay 15 percent of the general operating cost of individual extracurricular programs.
Redbank Valley’s policy states that sports teams and extracurricular activities in which a participant is required to pay a fee to participate are subject to the new fundraising mandate.
“We don’t have a choice. We’ve got to start doing something and being proactive,” Spaid said.
Board vice president Sabrina Backer, who voted against the tax increase in May, again voiced her concern about the issue.
“We don’t have the right to raise taxes if we’re not cutting things. It’s not right,” she said.
Board member Randy Seitz countered Backer’s point, stating that cuts to school programs will not fix the problem.
“You can only cut so far before you impact what we’re here for – to educate,” Seitz said. “I think we’re bleeding. We can’t bleed any more. The problem is not here, it’s in Harrisburg.”
Seitz referenced student placement and charter school costs, which are mandatory for the school district to pay. He suggested lobbying and working with the legislative offices in Harrisburg to come to a cost-savings solution.
“If we continue down this path, we won’t have reserve funds to plug the holes. Our burn rate is four to five years, and then we won’t have those funds,” Seitz said.
Spaid and Seitz suggested a district-wide town hall meeting this fall to gather public opinion on solving the deficit issue.
Board member Cheryl Ferry also advised that extracurricular programs could start preliminary fundraising during the 2017-2018 school year.
Members of the general public have an opportunity to review and/or comment on the spending plan until Monday, which is the day the board is slated to vote on the budget.
Anyone who would like to see a copy of the budget can access one either at the school district’s administrative building or online at www.fasd.k12.pa.us.
Dutchcot said that due to increases in salaries, benefits and retirement funds, the school could potentially lose $42,700 from food services next year. However, there is no guarantee of that loss, she said.
Dutchcot added that the district is 29 cents below the average price of school meals, according to the United States Department of Agriculture.
Franklin Area School District is by far the lowest for breakfast and lunch prices compared to schools like Cranberry and Titusville, Dutchcot said.
If lunch prices were increased by 15 cents and breakfast prices by 25 cents, the district could gain $9,631 in income, said Dutchcot.
