CLEARFIELD – Due to its small size, the Clearfield Area School District will receive a lower reimbursement percentage from the state for the construction at the Girard-Goshen Elementary School.
Business Manager Jason Barnett said the reimbursement percentage was lower than expected under the PLANCON program.
“I had budgeted for $300,000 less, but it was $400,000,” he said. “We really took a hit.”
As a result, the district will receive $115,000 less in reimbursement next year for the construction project than it had originally projected.
Dr. Tina Serafini, board member, asked for the total amount of the district’s reimbursement.
Barnett said he was unsure of the total and would have to calculate it.
According to Barnett, the PLANCON program is student driven and the lower reimbursement percentage correlates with the school’s small size.
“The state has a maximum reimbursement based on a building’s student capacity,” he said.
Barnett said Girard-Goshen was built in 2003 and has a classroom for each grade level.
“I’d say there are roughly 90 students, but it’s probably lower than that now,” he said.
PLANCON is a program that offers school districts reimbursement from the state for construction of new schools, additions to existing schools, and or renovations or alterations to existing schools to meet current educational and construction standards.