South Middleton school budget includes a proposed 2.6% tax increase
The board voted 6-2 to advertise a
Final adoption of the budget and tax increase is scheduled for
The district faces a deficit next year that is almost double what was anticipated in early March due, in large part, to economic fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic. Before the outbreak, the deficit was expected to be about
To contain the spread of the virus, Gov.
"This has been a very fluctuating budget," Weber told board members Monday. "It has been very hard to pinpoint and to provide you with data on a consistent basis. That makes your job harder."
During a typical budget cycle, most major issues in the fiscal plan are resolved by the time the board votes to advertise a preliminary budget in May. Come June, the vote to adopt the final budget is often a formality with little to no adjustments. This time around, rapid changes brought on by the pandemic make it difficult to predict trends in revenues and expenditures.
During a budget workshop in early May, administrators presented a strategy that combined the
About
The administration also decided to cut two positions, a social worker and a teacher, Strine said. This combined with other cuts resulted in the
District teachers received a 2.6% salary increase during the current 2019-20 fiscal year. The board and administration is in contract talks with the
Though one proposal on the table calls for a 3.3% salary increase, the administration is recommending the school board carryover the 2.6% rate into next school year to help offset the shortfall, Strine said.
Before the vote Monday, Weber said the administration had originally built into the budget an 18% increase in health insurance costs. Updated information has become available that has allowed the district to adjust that to only 12%, Weber said.
The recommended salary increase combined with the adjustment in health insurance costs leaves the district with a deficit of about
Before voting against the preliminary budget, Rob asked the administration to schedule another workshop prior to the
What the board voted on Monday was a conceptual plan so that the district could keep to the timetable of submitting a balanced budget to the state
"You still have time to make changes," Weber told the board. "There are some moving targets."
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