‘Major Step Forward’ for School Budget Tonight

After a dry budget overview late last month, the Upper Dublin School Board will hold a meeting that was dubbed to be “the next major step forward” in the budget process, according Upper Dublin Superintendent Michael Pladus.

The school board will meet at 7 p.m. in the high school cafeteria. See the pdf section for the draft agenda.

Pladus, in a district-wide email, said the options to be discussed at the March 11 meeting are just that — options. He added that the school board will take more cost-cutting options into consideration next month.

More from the email:

This Monday night at 7 p.m. in the cafeteria of the high school, the Administration will be presenting to the Board of School Directors the second of three budget presentations that will include a listing of budget reduction options. The presentation on Monday night will be an expansion and refinement of the budget presentation given in January as it will include some new options along with the actual projected financial costs associated with each line item. The presentation will be available on the District’s website sometime after Monday evening’s meeting. It should be stressed that nearly all of the proposed options to be brought forward on Monday night are still only options, and that additional cost reduction options are expected to be brought forward as necessary next month.

As a Superintendent of Schools and as a Board of School Directors, we remain extremely proud of what the District has accomplished over the years with the strong support of the community and through the efforts of a dedicated and talented faculty and staff. Our hope remains that we can all work together as we look to close a significant budget gap in a manner that does the least harm to the students whose interests we are all committed to serve. 

The school district is facing a budget deficit. According to the preliminary budget, the district’s revenue figure is $84.6 million with a total expenditure figure of $87.2 million. To close the gap, the district will likely use about $2.6 million in fund balance, leaving $8,116 in fund balance at the end of June 2014.

The revenue figure assumes a 3.04 percent millage increase, and the expenditure figure assumes $2.7 million in budget reductions — which have yet to be made. 

The current millage rate is 28.7847. With the proposed tax increase it will be 29.6597. In real terms, a homeowner with a house assessed at $150,000 would pay $4,449 annually, or $131 more than last year. A homeowner with a house assessed at $200,000 would pay $175 more per year.