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Taxes higher under Charleroi school budget

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Residents in Charleroi Area School District will be paying a little more in taxes as millage will increase from 15.8306 mills to the index at 16.3806 mills.

School directors Wednesday adopted the 2018-19 budget in the amount of $24,123,000. The budget reflects an increase of 2.38 percent, or $573,000, over last year’s budget. The tax bill for an assessed property value of $100,000 will increase about $55.

“We are pleased to present a budget which continues to make important strides toward the goals of our strategic plan, specifically in the areas of social-emotional wellness, and twenty-first-century learning,” Superintendent Ed Zelich said,.

Board President Ken Wiltz said budgets get more difficult every year.

“We have to establish our priorities. We are fortunate to have a balanced budget without furloughs,” he said, adding future years may bring furloughs to maintain fiscal responsibility.

Most of the cost-saving cuts in the budget came through eliminating positions through attrition, joining a new health care consortium, restricting administrative positions, outsourcing technology services, an in-house K-12 cyber school, combining efficient transportation routes, freezing additional compensation for extracurricular activities and partnering with the Charleroi Regional Police Department to provide campus security.

Organic chemistry will no longer be offered in-house due more to a lack of participation than the budget, said Zelich. The class will be available online for interested students.

The board approved a budget planning model, an online course through Pennsylvania School Study Council, the IU10 and Penn State University Professor William Hartman. Zelich said the model will be beneficial to the district.

“It will really help us to prepare a five-year plan,” he said. “It helps give us insights on our budgets.”

The plan will help administrators navigate budgets under the current financial constraints and look at trends and key factors affecting school budgets.

The board also accepted a bid from Morgan Excavating in the amount of $1,090,323.69 for the entrance and parking paving project. The project is expected to begin shortly, and Zelich said it is slated to be completed by the start of the 2018-2019 school year.

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