Plum School Board Approves a Budget with No Tax Increase

Plum School District residents will not see an increase in real estate taxes during the next fiscal year.

On Tuesday night, the Plum School Board voted to approve a $53.5 million budget with a $335,768 shortfall. That money will be taken from the district's $4.2 million fund balance.

Board member Jeff Russo was absent.

The budget holds the line on taxes—the rate currently is 22.2 mills.

Officials also are hoping to receive about $800,000 in basic education subsidy and accountability block grant money if a bill in the state Legislature that would restore funding to districts is passed.

That money is included in the budget as it was passed. If the district doesn't receive the money, it will have to deal with a deficit of a little more than $1 million.

The budget also includes the district's portion for the funding of Boyce Campus Middle College High School, which is alternative schooling at the Community College of Allegheny County for students who can't thrive in the regular high school setting.

Several parents and BCMC teachers attended the meeting in support of the program. There had been talks of possibly cutting it, but Woodland Hills, Penn Hills and Plum school districts have agreed to continue next year. Gateway School District in Monroeville will make a decision Wednesday (tomorrow) night.

School board member Andy Drake said he had a problem with the athletic portion of the Plum district budget because it was $40,000 more overall than last year's budget.

Officials said that the budget significantly was cut, but the number increased because of personnel costs.

Drake suggested cutting assistant coaches to save some money in the budget, but school board member Jeff Matthews said that could be a safety issue.

School board member Shane McMasters agreed with Drake. Both said the board made significant cuts in teaching personnel and equipment, and the same should be done in the athletic department.

Officials said they would explore the matter for the 2012-13 budget. Drake said officials are going to begin planning and discussing that budget beginning in July.