Eleventh-Hour Effort Means Tax Increase Still Possible for Schools Budget

In what was -- quite literally -- an eleventh-hour request, Pine-Richland School Board Director Kevin Nigh asked fellow board members if they would consider putting seven paraeducators, Gateway to the Arts and more back into the schools budget, which would mean a tax increase.

Monday night's school board meeting was heading toward the midnight hour when he asked the question. After several members weighed in, the board agreed to schedule another finance committee meeting to discuss the budget at 6 p.m. on June 6 at the .

Director Richard Herko, who historically has opposed tax increases, said he was ready to talk more.

School Board President Stephen Hawbaker did not agree so readily.

"I'm not meeting once again to be in the same place I am now," he said. Hawbaker has consistently opposed a tax increase.

Director Aafke Loney also opposed the tax increase, saying she would like to see the district pursue other sources of income. Specifically, she mentioned she had talked informally to a Dick's Sporting Goods representative about the possibility of having a percentage of Dick's sales going to the district when customers use Dick's ScoreCard Rewards card.

"Even a small increase, I can't support it," said Director A. Robert Necciai after talking about people in the community who have lost jobs, taken pay cuts or are working at temporary jobs.

Director Christine Misback said she did not want academics to suffer. She agreed that the board needs further discussion on the possibility of bringing back the positions.

Director Dr. Jeffrey Banyas said he was interested in the paraeducators, noting that the budget discussions earlier this year started with with 14 paraeducators being cut and now that number is down to seven. 

He said he also was concerned about the Gateway to the Arts program, but that Superintendent Dr. Mary Bucci has a solution to filling that need.

Treasurer Dennis Sundo asked fellow board members if there were five who definitely would not vote for a tax increase. That would make a majority of the nine-member board.

If so, he said he would drop the suggestion to discuss restoring the cuts.

"I'm so concerned about the next few years," said Loney. "I keep thinking this is what we have to work with ... I don't think we should do a tax increase."

Director Therese Dawson said she expected a packed room at the last budget meeting, but only a handful of people were present. Dawson said four questions were raised by the community then, and Bucci had answered all of them in a budget presentation earlier in the evening.

At one point, Sundo was ready to forego the idea of another meeting.

"I'm dropping it. We're done," he said. 

But Herko said he would not support a tax increase until the district could not cut any more and it appears the district is at that point. He said the idea of larger class sizes scares him.

"Everybody has voted consistently," Sundo said about the budget.

"Are you having a change of heart?" he asked Herko.

"I'm not interested in banking a tax increase," said Herko, referring to an administration recommendation to do that. He expressed concerns about paraeducator numbers and class size.

"The important thing is the board has questions," said Hawbaker. "Let's meet."

The conversation came at the end of a meeting at which Bucci had presented an overview of the budget to show what the budget includes, instead of what will be cut.

"We are faring better than many districts," Bucci said.

In the overview, she said that class sizes will remain about the same and in some cases they will go down slightly.

"The caveat is always that it is early and there can be changes," she said, noting that it usually is late summer before the district knows how many kindergartners and first-graders are registered.