CLEARFIELD – A tentative budget was passed by the Clearfield Area School Board Monday night, and no tax increase is planned for the 2017-18 school year, although the budget indicates a possible deficit.
Business Administrator Sam Maney said that revenues include 58 percent from the state, but only 2 percent from federal funding, which continues to decline.
Maney added that Title 2, Title 6 and Access are all “on the block,” and there could be a reduction in Title 1 due to decreases in federal dollars.
The other 40 percent comes from local funds, including the real estate millage, earned income tax, real estate transfer tax and local services tax.
The district’s current millage rate is 94.84 percent. One mill in real estate tax equals $129,000 in income.
With expenditures, Maney said costs continue to rise and most of the district’s expenses are contractual, with only 16 percent as something they can work with.
With the cafeteria budget, prices for lunch and breakfast will increase by five cents. Elementary breakfasts will be $1.65 and lunches $2.55. Junior-Senior High School breakfasts will be $1.70 and lunch $2.65. Milk will remain at 65 cents.
Altogether, the tentative general fund budget is $40,400,247, the capital projects fund budget is $888,000 and the cafeteria fund is $1,591,003.
The budget will be on display for the public for 20 days beginning June 6, and the board will vote on a final budget June 26.
Maney reminded the board that a budget is just a “worst case scenario,” and as the school year passes and they are able to adjust costs and spending, it will look different.
Members of the junior-senior high school robotics team gave a brief presentation on their trip to Fargo, ND for the Boosting Science, Engineering and Technology Northern Plains Regional Championship held Dec. 1-3, 2016.
The students had their robot on display and explained some of what the competition entailed, including designing their robot to “pick corn” from stylized stalks made from tubes.
In addition to points awarded for how the robot performed, the teams were also given points on how they treated each other, how helpful and supportive they were of other teams, etc.
Clearfield was awarded the “Blood, Sweat, and Duct Tape Award.” It was awarded to the team that displays the most perseverance and hard work in the face of disparity before and during the competition. In short, this robot takes a lickin’ and keeps on tickin’!” according to the competition Web site.
The board approved the Education and Personnel and Buildings, Finance and Activities committee reports and also a statement of waiver of conflict of interest, working with PFM Financial Management LLC as an independent financial adviser and also the Clearfield County Career & Technology Center’s budget.
Board member Gail Ralston also asked the board to approve a committee of board members, administrators and faculty to review the district’s summer school program for 2018, which was approved by the board.