Despite Cuts, $1.4 Million Shortfall Remains in PBSD Budget

Plum Borough School District officials have been working to balance the 2012-13 budget without a real estate tax increase, but they still have a $1.4 million shortfall.

At Tuesday's school board finance meeting, Superintendent Timothy Glasspool said he has been making adjustments and cuts to the $55.8 million budget, which originally started off with .

The budget does not include a tax increase. The current millage is 22.2 mills, and it has not increased since 2005.

Some of the cuts include:

• The elimination of one 9th grade football, cheering, boys volleyball, junior high track, diving, cross country and track coach
• The elimination of one band-percussion instruction, a GLA assist sponsor, a majorette sponsor, a musical publicity manager, a high school intramural sponsor and two weight room sponsors
• The elimination of the 9th grade girls basketball and volleyball programs
• The reduction of home football game shuttles
• The reduction of buses from eight to four
• The elimination of a $15,000 donation to the library
• Postponing the track resurfacing/bleacher repair

School board members said they have agreed to take $1 million from the district's $5.7 million fund balance to help offset some of the district's costs, leaving them with a deficit of close to $500,000.

Board member Loretta White said she would be in favor of taking the full $1.4 million from the fund balance to close the gap.

"I'd rather take it out of the fund balance than cut education programs," she said. "We've cut as much as we can without cutting programs."

However, board member Richard Zucco said the district currently has about $99 million in debt. Rather than taking out more loans and bond issues for future projects, he said it would be nice to use the fund balance for that.

"Let's tighten our belts a little bit," he said.

Board President Andy Drake said taking the full amount out of the fund balance probably isn't the wisest decision if district officials want to prepare for the future.

"The same people who want to vote for [taking the] $1.4 million, are you going to vote for a tax increase in a couple of years?" he asked. "That's what we're looking at if we don't look longer term.

"You're kicking the can down the road, and I'm not going to do that. I don't want to see student programs cut either, but we can't teach everything to everyone."

School board member Sal Colella said district officials must be innovative to be able to run a successful district with limited resources.

"We have to reinvent ourselves," he said. "Sometimes I look at some of the cuts we've made and I think they're too much. We have to be creative."

A preliminary budget must be approved by May 22. Officials have set up an extra finance committee meeting for 6 p.m. on May 8. A location has yet to be determined. The final budget will be approved on June 26.

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