The Octorara Area School Board May 16, telling the community they were managing district finances in a businesslike manner and with a “new reality,“ furloughed 18 evening custodians, a middle school math teacher, and outsourced speech and occupational therapy services to a lower bidder to again trim the 2011-12 budget.
The board also passed (by a 7-2 vote) a proposed final spending plan of $45,878,532, although Superintendent Tom Newcome said the numbers will likely move again before the final June 30 vote. Still up in the air is the cost for professional staff salaries and benefits as the OAEA negotiates a new contract with the school board, and state revenue figures.
At this point the proposed budget, which calls for using $1.2 million of the district’s fund balance, will cost Lancaster County taxpayers 28.55 mills. This is up .42 mills, or 1.49 percent over the present level. Chester County taxpayers will pay 35.49 mills, up .37 mills or 1.05 percent.
Newcome said furloughing the evening custodial staff and outsourcing this work to Servicemaster will save the district $200,000 annually. All furloughed custodians will receive nine days severance pay, cash for unused vacation and personal days, and three 15-year employees will receive $2,500 checks for their service. He said Servicemaster agreed to interview district employees for jobs.
The superintendent recommended that the board consider hiring from the outgoing staff two evening custodians to handle event set-up and tear-down, snow removal, heating and cooling system maintenance and mail at salaries not to exceed $45,000 each.
As for occupational and speech therapy, Newcome said the Chester County Intermediate Unit allowed the district to opt out of its services and contract for any needed services with Austill’s at various lower hourly rates.
Public comment was lively on the evening before the primary.
Jerry McArdle of Sadsbury Township said the district has spent $63 million to buy land and in building and renovation projects in the last decade, but enrollment is the same as it was during the 1970s, at 2,591 students.
“We have a new school across the street that’s half empty,” he said, challenging the school board to solve the “problems created by previous school boards and by not raising our taxes.”
Newcome said no buildings are “half empty” and previous school boards looked at seven different scenarios before beginning building projects.
“At some point people will be glad we got 2006 bid prices rather than 2016 prices,” Newcome said.
“It’s very easy to look back and make comments,” said board member John Malone. “We were being told growth and when the growth occurs this school district will be ready for it.”
Board member Brian Norris said if the district had not renovated the high school, it likely would have been condemned.
“In 1976 instruction was delivered much differently,“ said Newcome. “It’s not that simple a math problem,” he said.
One factor no board could have anticipated was the growth in cyber schools and the mandate that districts pay student tuition to these. Newcome said about 170 Octorara students are now attending cyber or charter schools.
“We are looking outside the box and approaching the school district like it’s a business,” said board president Lisa Bowman.
Board member Bob Hume reminded residents 12 to 15 percent of individual tax bills have to make up for lost Clean and Green revenue.
“It’s not right of the legislature to take money from one group and transfer it to another group,” Hume said. “We don’t even have enough land to develop to make up that money. It is affecting our pupils and I don’t know why our residents aren’t raising cain about that,” he said.
Finally, the school board: again named John Malone board treasurer; hired Katherine Smith as a long-term substitute middle school math teacher; hired Cori Brittingham as a long-term substitute fifth grade teacher; accepted with regret the retirement resignation of Doris Talley, who has taught since 1977; and approved a new high school club, the Cartoon Club.
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