MV discusses 2016-17 budget

BY PAT FARNELLI
Correspondent

Mountain View school board and administrators discussed proposed
budgets for the 2016-17 school year Monday, hearing from food service
management and the principals of the elementary and high school.
Melissa Hatala presented a pie chart showing percentages of expenses versus revenue.
As the district relies heavily on the USDA subsidy, now approximately $208,000 but expected to rise to more than $210,000
next year, Hatala said that the nutrition/food service management
needs to follow the regulations.
“The cost per meal would have been $3
for everyone, without the subsidy,” she said.
The district is now fully implementing the Healthy Hunger-Free Kids Act, started under the Obama administration, and this involves mandatory whole grains, more fruits and vegetables, and low fat dairy products.
Elementary school lunches are now $1.85, and may be going up to $1.95 or $2 next year, she said. High school lunches are $2.10 and may go up
to $2.20.
Food is still prepared at the high school and then transported across
the road to the elementary school cafeteria.
Hatala said that three of five food items must be chosen for a
student’s lunch, and that milk does not have to be taken. One of the
items has to be a fruit or vegetable.
Dr. Christine Plonski-Sezer objected to the requirement for lowfat
milk. “I am a diabetic, and that is not healthy. The fat is removed,
but the carbohydrates are added,” she said. “The carbohydrates then
turn into sugar.”
“We do need to follow the regulations,” Hatala said.
High School Principal Robert Presley showed power point slides of his
proposed high school budget. “This budget is only about $5,000 over
last year’s budget,” he said. “The textbooks are a major expense, but
some of this can be taken out or spread over more than one year.”
Presley said that updating curriculum is a major expense, and that if all of the language arts textbooks for grades 6 to 8 are changed, as
well as replacing English grammar texts that have been in use for
several generations of students, the cost would be $47,000.
Some of the $13,000 to replace the high school math textbooks should come out of the 2015-16 year’s budget.
He noted that Susquehanna County Career and Technology costs, charter schools, and other programs eat up much of the funding.
The grant total for next school year is $1,226,110, he said.
Some equipment upgrades include a database for the library, tables for consumer science, the library and other instructional areas, and replacement equipment for the weight room, including a treadmill, elliptical, and bicycle.
Elementary school principal Christine Kelly spoke of the school’s
budget, particularly for professional contracted services. A Triumph
Learning online program for grades 3-6 was discussed, along with
artist in residency programs.
She said that the physical education budget will focus on replacing or adding playground equipment, which has not been done in years.
An increased amount for general science supplies is budgeted.
Dr. Christopher Lake spoke about the new kindergarten to grade five online program, budgeted at $78,000, and said that it is time for a
curriculum upgrade for the elementary school, which is scheduled every
six years. He is excited about the MacGraw-Hill “Wonders” and “Wonder
Works” literacy programs.
In other business, the board approved an extended school year program to run July 11 to Aug. 4.