Budget
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The Board of School Directors passed the 2007-2008 general operating budget for the Seneca Valley School District on Monday, June 11, 2007, by a vote of 5-3. The expenditures are up $2,899,497 or 5.39 percent over last year’s budget of $84,283,407, and required a budgetary reserve reduction of $1,926,248 and a millage increase of 4.26 mills to balance the budget. 2.55 of the 5.39 mills are a result of the increase in the costs of hospitalization, retirement, and the costs of tuition for students attending special education placement schools, while English as a Second Language, diesel fuel, and contracted transportation cost increases accounted for 1.09 of the total millage increase. The increase in millage was within the index ceiling set by the legislature in Act 1, and thus eliminating the need for a voter referendum on the budget increase. The index set for the 2007-2008 budget was 3.4 percent.
The district again submitted and qualified for the Pennsylvania Accountability Block Grant (ABG) in the amount of $688,546. The monies will be used to supplement our educational program in the areas of student tutoring, social and health services, science and applied knowledge, performance of student subgroups and summer school.
In September, 2006, the School Board appointed a Tax Study Commission consisting of nine members of the community. After several meetings, the chairman of the committee, Mr. Randy Hart, presented a report to the Seneca Valley School Board indicating that the committee was content with the current system of taxation, but felt they were compelled by the law to place a referendum question on the May, 2007 ballot to increase the earned income tax rate to fund the minimum homestead/farmstead exemption permitted by the statute. Voters, however, rejected the Act One referendum question so the current taxing structure of the Seneca Valley School District remained unchanged.
The School Board held eight public work sessions starting on March 5, 2007, and made many adjustments to the preliminary budget, which was approved on June 11, 2007. The development and final adoption of the budget is a very detailed, complex, and time-consuming process for which the Board of School Directors is responsible by state law per Section 679 of the Pennsylvania Public School Code of 1949.The final document is a product that was developed with the cooperation and effort of the Board, Administration, and Staff. The process provides for the best education possible for our students as well as sensitivity to the burden of expense on the local taxpayer.
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2007-08 Budget Highlights-Expenditures |
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Expenditures |
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Budget Increase / (Decrease) over 2006-2007 |
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Professional Salary Increases, Existing Staff |
UP |
$1,047,018 |
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Two New Equivalent Full-Time Special Ed Professionals |
UP |
$119,590 |
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One New EFT Elementary Teacher (Asset) |
UP |
$59,795 |
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One and One Half New EFT Secondary Teachers |
UP |
$89,693 |
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Three New Special Education Paraprofessionals |
UP |
$42,376 |
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One New Attendance Registration Coordinator |
UP |
$36,172 |
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One New Director of Technology |
UP |
$106,019 |
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Increase in Hospitalization |
UP |
$420,112 |
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Increase in Retirement Contribution (6.46% to 7.13%) |
UP |
$382,003 |
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Contracted Carrier Transportation Services |
UP |
$170,000 |
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Diesel Fuel (Based on $2.25 per gallon) |
UP |
$77,000 |
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Contracted Cleaning Services |
UP |
$65,147 |
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Utilities (Electric, Sewer & Water, Natural Gas) |
UP |
$54,268 |
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Vo-Tech Operating Expenses |
UP |
$74,382 |
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English as a Second Language (ESL) |
UP |
$143,041 |
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Tuition for Special Education Students |
UP |
$118,272 |
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Tution to Other LEA's |
UP |
$16,062 |
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Tuition to Charter-Cyber Schools |
DOWN |
$(24,098) |
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Debt Service Payments |
DOWN |
$(77,113) |
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District-wide Equipment Purchases |
DOWN |
$(137,760) |
The Budget also allows for many new and improved programs in areas of curriculum development and student activities such as:
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•School resource officer program |
$49,593 |
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•Continuation of McKeever program |
$70,266 |
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•Drug screening program |
$60,000 |
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•Contracted security services (Victory Security Co. & Jackson Twp) |
$77,000 |
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•Subs for IEP meetings |
$55,000 |
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•Extra days for special education professionals (ext. school year) |
$51,750 |
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•Middle states supplies and consultants |
$13,850 |
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•Professional salaries-middle states evaluation |
$15,280 |
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•District-wide asphalt improvement |
$25,000 |
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•SHS - Gym floor refinishing |
$25,000 |
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•Stage curtain - Evans City |
$7,000 |
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•Carpet Replacement Rowan |
$30,000 |
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•Maintenance/Athletics - Gator vehicle |
$12,000 |
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•Security cameras |
$6,000 |
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•Modular repairs - Rowan |
$10,000 |
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•Replacement equipment - SVTV |
$25,000 |
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•Telecommunication equipment |
$85,000 |
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•New secondary textbook adoptions |
$37,500 |
EXPENDITURES
Instructional Services $52,237,024 59.92%
Instructional Support Services $23,440,507 26.89%
Non-Instructional Support Services $1,489,592 1.71%
Facilities Acquisition & Construction $125,000 0.14%
Debt Services $9,140,781 10.48%
Budgetary Reserve $750,000 0.86%
Total $87,182,904 100.00%
REVENUE
Local Revenue $59,793,301 68.59%
State Revenue $24,657,863 28.28%
Federal Sources $675,492 0.77%
Other Financing Sources $130,000 0.15%
Fund Balance Offset $1,926,248 2.21%
Total $87,182,904 100.00%
