We knew this would be happening sooner than later. The folks who elected these board members into office should be outraged. After years of cutting and slashing just about everything to give a modest tax break(meanwhile our home values have decreased). There is nothing left to cut. Now the district faces a 1.1 million shortfall. Whatever happened to "being in the best financial position in years" as Mr. Hellman has previously stated. Every increase in expenditures such as health care costs and teachers salaries were know way ahead of time, this should be no surprise to the board, but apparently it is. The first cut should be for 25k, and we know where that could come from!
Board looks for ways to close 1.1 million budget shortfall
By: MANASEE WAGH
Bucks County Courier Times
Morrisville School District's first look at next year's budget shows a $1.1 million shortfall.
While district business administrator Paul DeAngelo does not have a tax estimate based on this initial view of an $18.5 million budget for 2010-11, he said the administration will do everything it can to keep any tax increase below the 3.4 percent district index according to the state's Act 1 code.
"We're going back to the drawing board. We're going to look at the budget line by line," he said at a preliminary budget presentation to the school board Wednesday evening.
He said Morrisville schools will consider a number of ways to balance the budget, including an expected $100,000 credit from Intermediate Unit No. 22 as well as reductions in energy expenditures and efficiencies in special education facilities.
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DeAngelo said a variety of factors are contributing to the deficit, including 8.56 percent higher premiums for health care, a projected increase in the Pennsylvania Public School Employees' Retirement System, a $255,000 increase for the Bucks County Technical High School budget and decreases in local, state and federal revenues.
Teacher salaries and benefits, which make up about half of the budget, are expected to increase about 3.5 percent.
At next Wednesday's regular board meeting, the board plans to pledge not to increase taxes above 3.4 percent.
