Politics & Government

Budget Work Continues in Phoenixville Area School District

Legislative changes, other costs could still affect district.

Next year’s budget continued to dominate discussions at Thursday's Phoenixville Area School Board meeting.

“I know it’s repetitive,” Superintendent Dr. Alan Fegley said. “But I think it’s very, very important that we keep in mind the parameters  … of the budget for next school year.” 

Fegley said that so far, the district has managed to cut the preliminary budget by $1.9 million and has also cut the proposed tax increase from 4.43 percent to 3.6 percent. At 3.6 percent, a $130 tax increase to the homes at the median assessed value in the district would be in order. 

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Fegley also pointed out that without the loss in funds from the state, the current proposed amount would actually represent a .74% tax decrease, and that just over $1 million of the current budget difference is new debt incurred by the construction of the new middle school.

Board President Paul Slaninka, in reporting on a recent legislative council meeting, said there are quite a few pieces of legislation that could affect the school district for the upcoming school year. 

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These include Senate Bill 1, regarding school vouchers, and Senate Bill 612, which will allow districts to furlough teachers for economic reasons. There is also a bill, Senate Bill 527, which will require a two-thirds majority vote of any school board to raise property taxes in a district. 

Slaninka said that while the voucher bill was scheduled to come to a vote last week, there was so much negative attention the vote was postponed. There were also changes to the income requirements to get a voucher. That income level has been set at 300 percent of the established poverty level, meaning anyone at or below this level would be eligible for a voucher to attend school in the district of their choice. 

Fegley said it is important to remember that at this point the budget still is not final and that the board will continue to look at other reductions. 

The question of whether the budget could be voted on by line item or needed to be taken as a complete item also came up. Fegley said that the process of voting is completely up to the board. Once the budget comes to a vote, if any part of it is voted down, the administration can work on that section more. 

In non-budget-related news:

  • The board strongly encourages residents to attend the East Pikeland Township Zoning Hearing Board meeting to support the school district. The next meeting will be April 27 at 7 p.m. at Kimberton Fire Company.
  • The finance committee is working with the district food service provider regarding changes to school lunch menus next year. Legislation has been passed mandating, among other things, the types of food being served and the nutritional value of the meals. Consequently there will be an increase in the cost of school-provided meals. This increase will be presented to the board at the April 28 meeting for voting.
  • The board passed a resolution to plug a drainage pipe at the middle school property that was channeling runoff from the nearby Meadowbrook Golf Course. In the resolution, the board stated that Meadowbrook has not responded to the board’s attempts to resolve the situation.
  • Upcoming board meetings include the Board Open Forum on Monday at 7 p.m. at the district administration office and the second April board meeting on April 28 at 7 p.m.


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