South Fayette schools make an additional $129,000 in budget cuts
About $129,000 in cuts were made to South Fayette’s 2013-14 budget by school directors during a May 28 meeting. Included in the cuts was the elimination of $105,000 in contingency expenses, as well as a total $24,000 from a portion of the maintenance budget. About $4,000 in the maintenance budget would have been used to relocate exhaust vents at the middle school and the $35,000 originally requested to replace the rooftop air conditioning unit at the middle school was reduced to $15,000.
So far, the district has made nearly $2 million in cuts since the budget process started earlier this year.
At its May 21 meeting, the board approved a proposed final budget with a millage rate of 24.4432 mills, which included a 0.527 mill increase. The rate is adjusted from this year’s rate of 28.8241 mills because of the county-wide reassessment. With expenses of $41,763,032, the district would have to borrow a little less than $1 million from its fund balance. District Director of Finance Brian Tony said the district’s fund balance stands at about $10,302,589.
Tony and district accountant Maria Brewer-Aguilar made a presentation to the board at the meeting, outlining the decisions that still have to be made regarding the budget. Several items were left in the budget at the meeting, but the board has until its June 25 meeting to approve a final budget.
Items still being considered for the budget totaled about $1.7 million and include three school buses totaling more than $70,000; projectors for the middle school, high school and intermediate school at a total of $43,875; items for the intermediate school STEAM lab at $29,250; and replacement computers for students at a total of $38,250.
Several maintenance items remain in the budget, including repairing brick veneer at the middle school at a cost of $6,000; general painting at $15,000; re-pointing and re-caulking brick at $10,000; and a scissor lift at $7,500. Director of Maintenance Dean Stewart also had $20,000 in the budget for concrete replacement, which he said is an estimated amount. He was asked by the board to get a solid quote on how much it would cost to replace damaged concrete.
Stewart said he is requesting a scissor lift because a lift is needed at the new intermediate school and the one-man lifts that the school currently uses are not good for doing close jobs, like painting. For jobs like that, he has had to rent scissor lifts. “You can’t get adjacent to the wall with a man lift,” he said. He said if the scissor lift is approved, he would try to get one that would be compatible in all the buildings.
Other items still being considered include staffing decisions, which Superintendent Dr. Bille Rondinelli said were included in the Act 34 hearing held prior to the start of construction on the new school. The staffing includes a second grade teacher at $77,000; a half time library aide at $16,397; an intermediate school technology teacher at $77,679; a half time music strings teacher at the intermediate school at $47,000; a fourth grade teacher, a fifth grade teacher, a nurse, a guidance counselor and STEAM teacher at the intermediate school at $77,679 each; nine student monitors at the intermediate school at a total of $43,384; and five custodians for the intermediate school at a total of $121,519. The board is also considering an as-needed teacher at $77,679 and a para-educator at $42,020.
The board will continue to discuss the budget at its June 18 meeting and should be ready to vote on a final budget at the June 25 meeting.