Tax increase likely for Montrose Area

BY PAT FARNELLI

Montrose Area School District taxpayers will likely be seeing an increase in school taxes in the upcoming year. After several years with no increase and a slight increase last year, the school board is looking at ways to meet district expenses before a final budget is adopted later this month.

Finance committee chairperson Kristen Follert said the finance committee had proposed three options for the 2014-15 budget.

The first option is to do a realignment of staff in the elementary education area and to raise taxes up to the index.

The second option was to raise taxes to the index and take money from the reserve funds.

The third option was to “throw the budget back to the administrators to look for ways to cut expenditures even more.”

“If we look for more areas to cut, we will cut into our children’s programming, and we don’t want that,” Follert said.

Caterson said that although the district has not had to raise taxes in recent years, except for a very small increase last year, it is necessary to do so now.

“We hate raising taxes, but we are going to have to start cutting to the bone if we don’t,” he said. “Seventy percent of our budget goes to our people.”

He said that $250,000 is being taken from reserves for pension increases, and those funds are non-replenishing.

The tax increase up to the full index will bring the rate to 44.767 mills from last year’s 43.5 This amounts to an increase of $275,000, or a .999 increase.

Business manager Michelle Lusk said that it is possible that the state may come up with an additional $240,000 in revenues, in which case the budget may be revisited.

The budget must be passed by Monday, June 30, so a special board meeting will be held on that date at 7 p.m. in the high school’s community learning center. The board will vote on a final budget and conduct end of the fiscal year business.

There will be no regular school board meeting in July. There will be a policy committee meeting on July 21 at 7 pm. at the Choconut Valley Elementary School. The next work session and school board meeting will be held on Monday, Aug. 11 at 7 p.m. in Choconut.

The conversion to natural gas at Lathrop Street Elementary is set to begin this summer with the Montrose Area school board approving both the gas service agreement and the boiler conversion contract at the June 9 meeting.

The board approved a service agreement with Leatherstocking Gas Company to provide natural gas into the elementary school; and awarded a bid for the boiler conversion to O&M Multitrade Inc. of Jessup, in the amount of $56,750
Only two bids were received for the dual fuel burner conversion project, which will allow the boiler to run on either natural gas or fuel oil. The school’s generator also runs on oil, it was said.

Once these two projects are completed, only about $4,000 will remain in the 22 Capital Reserve Fund account, board president Chris Caterson said.

Agreements were approved for occupational therapy professional services through Tier Occupational Therapy Services PC from July 1 through June 30, 2015 at a total cost not to exceed $79,000; and for an Alternative Education for Disruptive Youth program as submitted with PA Treatment and Healing for the 2014-15 school year.

The board approved continuation of the district’s modified school health program for the 2014-15 school year. This program exceeds state standards, and employs school nurse practitioners who can perform mandated school physicals required for students in grades kindergarten, 6, and 10.

The list of graduates was submitted for the Class of 2014. High School Principal Michael Boccella announced that the valedictorian will be Myra Lattimore, and the salutatorian will be Samantha Bennici. Senior awards night will be held Thursday, Baccalaureate will be held Sunday, and Graduation is scheduled for Saturday, June 21 at 11 a.m.

The position of Director of Transportation was transferred from Christopher Tripp to Elizabeth O’Malley effective June 2, at the prorated amount of $708.33 for the remainder of the 2013-14 fiscal year, and beginning July 1 at an annual fiscal amount of $8,500.

She will be a full-time, 12-month administrative employee with all benefits.
The board accepted two resignations with regret: Ryan Soden as Head Baseball Coach, effective May 19; and Jeremy Dibble as Assistant Football Coach, effective June 2.

The following coaches were appointed: David Lopes, assistant football coach at the rate of $2837.50; Caleb Salsman as head junior high soccer coach, at the rate of $1,900; Quinn Dempsey as assistant soccer coach, at the rate of $2,400; Timothy Lopez as head boys basketball coach, at a rate of $4,630; Bridgette McKennas as assistant girls basketball coach at the rate of $3,430.

The board approved the transfer of David Beaudette, assistant football coach, from a salary of $2,394 to a senior high assistant football coach position at a salary of $3,185.

Mariah Stahl, half time French teacher at the Junior-Senior High School, submitted a resignation effective June 20, which was accepted with regret.
Lori Lass’s resignation as yearbook advisor was also accepted with regret.

Summer extended school year aides and teachers, student workers, and summer school teachers, staff, and guidance were approved for the junior senior high school and elementary schools.