SMETHPORT — The Smethport Area School Board adopted a budget Monday for fiscal 2017-18 that amounts to $15,255,530 and keeps the tax increase to under one mill.
The new property tax rate is set at 18.01 mills, up from the current 17.37 mills.
This tax increase meets the requirement of the resolution the board approved last December, which states the directors will not increase any tax used for support of the school district by a rate greater than the adjusted index of 3.7 percent.
Act 1 of the Legislature’s special session of 2006 provides that a school board may adopt a resolution no later than 110 days prior to the date of the election immediately preceding the upcoming fiscal year, indicating it will not raise taxes for the following fiscal year by more than the index.
All other tax rates remain unchanged for 2017-18. Among these are the two $5 per capita levies on residents ages 18 and older. Also kept at their present rates are the one percent wage tax and a similar tax on all real estate transactions within the district.
The board also adopted a resolution implementing the Homestead/Farmstead Exclusion for 2017. The assessment exclusion is $10,500, providing a savings of up to $190.91 off the real estate tax bill for those who have been approved.
Also approved was a resolution to use $381,6211 of the district’s designated Public School Employees’ Retirement System fund balance for the 2017-18 general fund budget to help fund the employer retirement rate, which is increasing 8.46 percent.
Under the provisions of another financial matter that was approved, the district will use $53,000 of its real estate tax designated fund balance on July 1 to offset the 2017-18 tax loss due to the Western Pennsylvania Conservancy purchase of property from the tax rolls that was converted into state forest land.
In yet another vote, the board approved keeping the status quo by continuing all the terms and conditions of the collective bargaining agreement with the Smethport Area Education Association, which covers the period from July 1, 2014, and June 30.
The board has planned a meeting for 6:30 p.m. June 27 to consider the fact-finding report in these contract negotiations.
The cafeteria budget that totals $620,501 was also approved. Meanwhile, the prices of the elementary and secondary breakfasts will go up 10 cents, as will the lunches in the two schools. Adult breakfasts and lunches will see a 25-cent increase.
A group of teachers attended the meeting to ask directors to maintain the current number of kindergarten teachers at three. However, when it came to a vote, the directors passed a motion to eliminate one kindergarten teacher and one elementary certified teaching position, citing decreased enrollment.
Business manager Sue Jordan said that while 42 kindergarten children were registered on March 31, that number has “gone up a little.”
However, since the board granted elementary principal Larry Rondinelli’s medical leave of absence from this coming July 1 through Dec. 31, and a sabbatical leave for restoration of health from Jan. 1 through June 30, 2018, Kristin Zona, an elementary teacher filling in for Rondinelli, has been named acting dean of students and educational affairs for the next school year. The move creates a temporary elementary teaching position, which will be filled by Angela Lapp, who was scheduled to be furloughed because of the lower enrollment.
Since superintendent David London has attained the objective performance standards in a proficient manner, the board set his salary for 2017-18 at $117,300.
One motion was tabled. This was purchase of a tractor with a diesel engine at a cost of $27,984.
