CLEARFIELD – At a special meeting Thursday night, Dr. Richard C. Makin, superintendent of the Clearfield Area School District, told the board of directors that he has continued to monitor the state budget situation or “the lack there of” in Harrisburg.
Pennsylvania began its seventh consecutive year without a budget plan in place on Wednesday. In addition, the state has suffered a $3 billion shortfall in the current-year budget due to the weak economy.
“From what I hear, it could be prolonged. It’s a big item,” Makin said.
He said that the district based its 2009-10 budget on the minimum subsidy that was initially proposed by Gov. Edward G. Rendell. He said that while working on the budget, the district opted for a more conservative approach.
As a result, he said that when implemented, the state budget could only have a positive impact on the district.
On June 22, the board unanimously approved its 2009-10 General and Subsidiary Fund budgets without a tax increase.
The budget called for $31,969,611 in total revenue sources and $32,383,507 in total expenditures with real estate millage remaining at 86.84 percent.
In addition, the Capital Reserve Fund was approved in the amount of $547,515; the Athletic Fund Budget in the amount of $192,275; and the Cafeteria Fund in the amount of $1,335,382.
During his final budget presentation, Sam Maney, business administrator, said that the district has experienced decreasing revenue and increasing expenditures.
He said that the district’s expenditures are not on their way down. In contrast, he indicated that they’re gradually rising, making the budget process difficult as a result.
“It was a bit of a doosey and made it hard to balance,” Maney said.
“But it wasn’t anything that we could not overcome.”
