A 'Scrubbed' Budget

The Easton Board of Finance approved a newly-trimmed 1.91 percent school budget increase, landing the 2011-12 education budget at $14.96 million, which is about $60,000 less than what the school board had .

The financiers also considered the budget of $569,789, an increase of 2.45 percent, which was not reduced. The Board of Finance met Tuesday night, March 29 at the library.

Daniel Underberger, chairman of the school board, presented the financiers with an itemized list of possible reductions which was divided into “painful reductions” and “very painful reductions." (A copy of this list is available along with other photos attached to this article.)

The $58,570 in savings came from the following “painful" reductions: municipal leases in transportation ($20,000); removal of panic button and interior wall painting ($15,000); health insurance savings ($10,000); reduction in substitute custodians for the elementary and middle school (a combined $6,500); less instructional supplies ($1,548); reduction in elementary school office assistants and assistant principal secretary ($2,780); and a reduction of summer days for the elementary school’s nurse assistant ($467).

None of the “very painful reductions,” which included removing the reinstated music program, were used to reduce the budget.

The budget was met with a generally favorable response.

“I support the budget,” said Sharon Stemme, an Easton resident. “I appreciate the time and effort” that went into making the budget.

Heidi Armster, another Eastonite, echoed Stemme’s statements and supported the budget.

“As a parent, personally I want like to see the top half [the “painful reductions”] passed,” said Bernadette Waterman, an Eastonite. “If it doesn’t happen here it won’t be happening,” she said, urging the finance board not to reduce the budget any further.

“I think it’s a great budget,” financier Elise Broach said.

“This is the most scrubbed budget I’ve seen a Board of Education submit to us during the 22 years I’ve been on the [finance] board,” said Andrew Kachele, board member.

The praise wasn’t unilateral, though.

C. Lee Hanson, board member, thought the new number was “over-budgeted” and believed that the school board could find additional places from which to cut costs if they looked hard enough.

"I’m worried about [future] situations where we might have to spend more money,” Hanson said.

“Frankly, the honesty behind [the budget] has improved,” Kachele said. 

Kachele was also concerned about the cost for the , whose salary will be around $230,000 a year.

On the subject of the new superintendent, Hnson said that the by the tri-board's ad hoc Superintendent Search Committee was "illegal."

Underberger stressed that the superintendent must be a part of three separate boards and that the time spent away from home to attend those meetings had to be compensated for in the salary.

The Board of Finance will hold its final budget workshop tonight at 7:30 p.m. in the conference room at .

Easton's proposed budget for the 2011-2012 fiscal year will be presented to the public on Monday, April 11 at 7 p.m. at .