Board Member Bob Hume makes a point about the 2012-13 budget early in the board meeting. A few minutes later Hume joined six other fellow board members to approve the proposed budget.
OCTORARA AREA SCHOOL DISTRICT
PUBLIC SCHOOL BOARD MEETING
June 25, 2012 – 7:30 p.m.
1. Lord’s Prayer
2. Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag
3. Roll Call – All members of the board were present, 4 citizens and one member of the press were also in attendance.
4. Approval of Minutes from the Work Session of May 14, 2012, and the Regul
ar Meeting of May 21, 2012.
5. Presentations
- Budget Discussion by Dan Carsley
- The proposed budget of $46,000,000 calls for a 3.91% increase (1.38 Mills) for Chester County home owners and a 3.1% decrease (-.88 Mills) for Lancaster County residents.
- Chester County home value of $122,000 equals a tax increase of $171
- Lancaster County home valued at 122,000 means a tax decrease of $107
- This years budget calls for the district to use $1.1 million from its fund balance (savings account) leaving an estimated $4.3 million dollars for future needs.
School Board President Lisa Bowman followed Dan Carsley’s presentation by saying we’ve been talking about the budget for 6 months, we’ve had board meeting and public meetings, we’ve all have a chance to talk with Dan. The painful fact is that even with the staff cuts we still have a $900K increase. So much of the budget is out of our control.
Leon Lapp reads from his prepared statement.
Board Member Leon Lapp – I’ve been on the board for ½ year and I have a statement I would like to read. I wanted to bring accountability to the school board and the budgeting process. I’ve seen the intense pressure administrators are under to balance the budget. 80% of our budget is driven by outside forces including pensions, buildings, prevailing wages, charter schools funding, teachers unions (asks, “Do they help or hurt the education of our children?”). We don’t have the tax base. Could it be because of the high tax rate, that when people could move to a neighboring school district they save money.
Board Member Sheri Melton – I’m a newcomer too, my eyes were open the first six months on board. I see first hand how hard everyone here works to be as efficient as possible.
Board Member Bob Hume – Its difficult being how old I am (84) to see what is happening. The people in this area have no money. More business wouldn’t help our funding. Why don’t more people come out to board meetings. This room should be full. We should file a class action suit against the state.
Board Member Nelson Stolzfus – Challenged Mr. Lapp on his statement that one of his friends could build a district building for 40% of what the district spends.
Ms Bowman speaks about Octorara’s budget woes.
Ms. Bowman said people should see where the real spending issues are. There is a lack of knowledge out there. So much of it is out of our control. This area is so expensive to live in but it is also a beautiful place to live. There are tradeoffs.
6. Information Items
7. Treasurer’s Report
A. That the Octorara Board of School Directors approve the General Fund Report for period ending May 31, 2012.
8. Business Manager’s Report
A. That the Octorara Board of School Directors approve the list of bills for payment.
9. Visitors’ Comments – Agenda Items Only
No visitor comments
10. Recommended Action Items: (Italicized items are new; they were not on the June 11, 2012
agenda.)
- That the Octorara Board of School Directors approve the attached resolution adopting the 2012 – 2013 General Fund Budget Expenditures in the amount of $46,664,375.
Voting Yes to approve the budget were Ms. Bowman and Johnson, Dr. Melton and and Mr. Norris, Hume, Ganow, Stolzfus.
Voting no, Mr. Lapp and McCartney
Board Vice-president Brian Norris corrected another board member and set the record straight that in 2010 we had a zero percent year. No state-issued exceptions were used in this budget.
B. That the Octorara Board of School Directors approve the attached resolution establishing a real estate millage rate of 36.66 mills in Chester County and 27.49 mills in Lancaster County.
Board Member Sam Ganow – Under this budget taxes for Lancaster County home owners will go down. The discrepancy is caused by the State Equalization Board.(STEB) another factor outside the board’s control.
Only Mr. Lapp voted against the measure
C. That the Octorara Board of School Directors approve the attached resolution for the 2012-2013 Homestead and Farmstead Exclusion.
D. That the Octorara Board of School Directors approve the following financial institutions and investment firms for financial services during the 2012-2013school year, in accordance with Section 621 of the School Code:
- 1. Fulton Bank-depository and investment
- 2. PA School District Liquid Asset Fund – depository and investment
- 3. RBC Dain Rauscher, Inc.-investment only
E. That the Octorara Board of School Directors approve the following list of signatories for the designated bank accounts effective July 1, 2012:
- General Fund: – President, Vice President, Treasurer, Secretary
- Cafeteria Fund: – President, Vice President, Treasurer, Secretary
- Official Imprest Fund: – Superintendent, Business Manager, High School
- Principal, Asst. High School Principal, Board Secretary (Required 2 signatures)
- School Activity Fund: – Building Principal, Building Asst. Principal, Business
- Manager, Board Secretary (Required Business Manager signature with one counter signature)
F. That the Octorara Board of School Directors approve the appropriate budget transfers for the year ending 2011-2012 as a result of the annual financial audit. (Note: This is a requirement for the school code to be done prior to June 30th of each fiscal year.)
G. That the Octorara Board of School Directors approve the resolution authorizing Daniel R. Carsley, Jill Hardy, and Kim McCully to conduct financial transactions on behalf of the District with Fulton Financial Advisors.
H. That the Octorara Board of School Directors approve Dr. Jeffrey Blair as the school dental consultant for the 2012-2013 school year.
I. That the Octorara Board of School Directors approve the Amendment with M&B Environmental, Inc. to include one additional day for one additional hour of operational coverage per week during the summer months due to operational needs at the Water Treatment Facility.
J. That the Octorara Board of School Directors approve the Proposal for Octorara Landscape and Turf for treatment of the athletic fields from July 1, 2012 to June 30, 2013 at a total cost of $17,600.
Mr. Stolzfus – several years ago we thought we would save on this by not spending the money needed to maintain the fields. We paid for it with terrible fields. It pays us to take care of our fields.
Resignation Approvals:
K. That the Octorara Board of School Directors accept Ms. Alison Parry’s resignation as an instructional assistant at the Octorara Elementary School effective May 22, 2012. (Hired August 31, 2009)
Hiring Approvals:
L. That the Octorara Board of School Directors approve Ms. Melanie Johnson and Ms. Jennifer Bower as teachers for the Special Education Extended School Year Program effective June 18 through July 19, 2012 at the rate of $30 per hour.
M. That the Octorara Board of School Directors approve the attainment of tenure status for the following professional employees (in accordance with Section 1108 of the current School Laws of Pennsylvania):
- Tara Pitts
- Kristen Lauer
- Ashley Brennan
- Amanda Lenton
N. That the Octorara Board of School Directors approve Ms. Sarah Bieg’s request for Family Medical Leave for the purpose of child rearing from approximately October15, 2012 through January 2, 2013. Ms. Bieg is an art teacher at the Octorara Sr. High School.
O. That the Octorara Board of School Directors authorize Kegel Kelin Almy & Lord, LLP, to execute the necessary paperwork to settle the QG, LLC tax assessment appeal at a fair market value of $11,600,000, with resulting assessment of $6,496,000 for the school tax year 2012-2013 and ongoing.
Mr. Ganow – The School Board challenged the appeal, went through all the processes and this was the best we could do. It would cost us even more to fight it. We’re disappointed.
P. That the Octorara Board of School Directors accept, with regret, Ms. Beth Davis’s resignation as a fourth grade teacher at the Octorara Elementary School for the purpose of retirement effective the end of the 2011-2012 school year. (Hired August 28, 1986)
Dr. Newcome – Ms. Davis plans on staying around. We’ll see a lot of her
Q. That the Octorara Board of School Directors accept Ms. Nicole Flaherty’s resignation as a lunch/recess supervisor at the Primary Learning Center effective June 18, 2012. (Hired September 28, 2010)
R. That the Octorara Board of School Directors accept Ms. Liz DiSabatino’s resignation as Junior Varsity Field Hockey Coach at the Octorara Sr. High School effective June 8, 2012. (Hired August 15, 2011)
S. That the Octorara Board of School Directors accept Mr. Russ Maxwell’s resignation as Junior Varsity Volleyball Coach at the Octorara Sr. High School effective June 9, 2012. (Hired 2009-2010 school year)
Mr. Ganow, for a bit of comical relief, calls Mr. Maxwell’s resignation a “classic,” and reads it into the record.
T. That the Octorara Board of School Directors accept, with regret, Mr. Christian Taylor’s resignation as Yearbook Advisor at the Octorara Sr. High School effective May 24, 2012. (Hired 2005-2006 school year)
U. That the Octorara Board of School Directors accept, with regret, Mr. Drew Duggan’s resignation as Baseball Coach at the Octorara Jr. High School effective May 22, 2012. (Hired 2004-2005 school year)
V. That the Octorara Board of School Directors accept Ms. Michelle King’s resignation as Cheerleading Coach at the Octorara Sr. High School effective May 7, 2012. (Hired August 2009)
W. That the Octorara Board of School Directors accept Ms. Robin Elias’s resignation as Cheerleading Coach at the Octorara Sr. High School effective June 12, 2012. (Hired August 2010)
X. That the Octorara Board of School Directors approve Ms. Cheryl Johnson as a one on one aide for the Special Education Extended School Year Program effective June 18 through July 19, 2012 at the rate of $16.57 per hour.
Y. That the Octorara Board of School Directors approve the 2012-2013 Legal Services Consultation Agreement between Sweet, Stevens, Katz & Williams, LLP and the Octorara Area School District for Special Education Services.
Z. That the Octorara Board of School Directors approve the School Physician Services Agreement between Diamantoni and Associates and the Octorara Area School District for the 2012-2013 school year.
AA. That the Octorara Board of School Directors approve the Primary Learning Center’s Student Handbook for the 2012-2013 school year.
BB. That the Octorara Board of School Directors approve the proposal for NRG Controls, Inc. service agreement renewal, option 2.
CC. That the Octorara Board of School Directors approve a $50 stipend for mentoring during the 2011-2012 school year for Diane Powers, Grace Filoromo, Maureen Byerly, Joe Bonano, Linda Sarian, and Deb Gajari.
DD. That the Octorara Board of School Directors approve the attached list of salaries for the school district employees for the 2012-2013 school year.
Mr. Ganow suggests the board unfreeze Dr. Newcome’s $126,800 salary and take it to $132,400 where it should have been two years ago. The motion passed unanimously.
EE. That the Octorara Board of School Directors approve the agreement for compensation and benefits for the Act 93 administrators.
FF. That the Octorara Board of School Directors approve the proposal from Spectra Contract Flooring to replace carpeting at the Primary Learning Center in 21 classrooms and three pod areas.
GG. That the Octorara Board of School Directors approve the 2012 Real Estate Tax Universal Installment Payment Plan Resolution.
HH. Sam Ganow makes a motion to rename to operation building after Dale Miller who is retiring after 36 years with the district.
Dr. Newcome will look into what has to be done to make the proposal to real.
Mr. Ganow also asked that more be done to recognize the naming of the HS auditorium after George Daller
11. Policy Committee Report
12. Finance Committee Report
13. I.U./C.A.T. Board Representative’s Report
14. Old Business
15. New Business
16. Other Items and Announcements
17. Visitors’ Comments – General
No visitor comments
18. Administrator Comments/Announcements
Dan Carsley – Dale Miller will be missed.
High School Principal Scott Rohrer – Noted Cierra Runge is trying to qualify for the Olympic, we wish her well.
Dr. Newcome – I’ve been in the news more than I’m comfortable with lately. I’ve 
appreciated the support of the board. There are pros and cons of all the moves you make in your life. The pros was a shorter commute. The cons were I felt needed here. Two weeks ago I came to peace with the process. I learned that there are pros and cons, and there are a lot of pros to be in the Octorara community. I’ve appreciated the support of the board. Thank you for tonight’s action.
Lisa Bowman, speaking to Dr. Newcome, said the support is well deserved, your work and character keep the district moving along. You contribute financially to a lot of organizations. We were happy to hear you’re staying.
19. Board Comments
Nelson Stolzfus – I got an email last week. I needed to be clearer. On the HS project and the petitions in the ceiling. They weren’t in the original plans of the building. The email asked if it was a code violation (No) who paid for it (we did) we’re making the repair ourselves because we can do it cheaper.
Bob Hume – will our solicitor look into whether there was a class action suit filed. If not perhaps we can get something started. Octorara Communities that Care we could use some assistance. We want to make sure the Octorara Heroes continue. We need some support, give John Proper or Bob Hume a call.
Lisa Bowman – so much of our year is spent on budget, seems like budget drives what we do. Thanks for everyone’s input, lets move on
20. Adjournment
- Policy Committee Meeting – Monday, June 25, 2012 – 6:00 p.m. in the District Office Conference Room
- Finance Committee Meeting – Monday, June 25, 2012 – 6:30 p.m. in the District Office Conference Room
- Executive Session for personnel – Monday, June 25, 2012 – Following the Regular Meeting in the District Office Conference Room
- Facility Committee Meeting – Monday, July 9, 2012 – 6:00 p.m. in the District Office Conference Room
- Next regularly scheduled Work Session – Monday, July 9, 2012 – 7:30 p.m. in the Octorara Middle School Multi-Purpose Room
- Policy/Finance Committee Meeting – Monday, July 16, 2012 – 6:00 p.m. in the District Office Conference Room
- Next regularly scheduled Board Meeting – Monday, July 16, 2012 – 7:30 p.m. in the Octorara Middle School Multi-Purpose Room
What is the reasoning behind the State Equalization Board making Octorara taxes unequal for Chester County and Lancaster County?
Shouldn’t the equalization board make taxes equal, not have Chester County residents pay 33% more than Lancaster County residents?
I’d like to know why Lancaster County residents have to pay less? I find it strange that an area like Atglen and Parkesburg has to take the brunt of uncontrolled spending of a School district that is half the size of most of those surrounding it. If you drive through Parkesburg these days you’ll see lots of homes for sale. Keep raising the taxes of the residents and you won’t have to worry there won’t be anyone moving into the area. Were all possible cuts looked into? Were cuts of upper management made? I may not attend board meetings, (something I may have to start doing) but I have seen and heard enough to know something isn’t right.
I do hope the $17k for “field maintenance” includes new sod for the stadium field. If not, the district is being ripped off–which would not suprise me. I get so tired of the board hiding behind “state mandates’ and using them as their excuses. The board needs to be creative and intelligent — find the loop holes in the “state mandates’ that other boards have found. Most cuts the past few years have hit the students directly, not administration. Until Dr Bishop resigned we had MULTIPLE superintendents! ( I believe we actually still do) For a district our size this is unacceptable. A few years ago the board wanted us to believe that cuts were made with the administrative staff when essentially all they did was re-structure! And what about the # of principals we have in the HS? Yes, there are some that are multitasking, however it seems some of the others are just THERE! Years ago, we were led to believe our area was predicted to be a high growth area so new schools were built–many of us were opposes to the OIS–this has not been the case. Last year, Dr Newcome was applauded for adding the new buildings years ago at that particular building cost–all that did was hurt us. It is equivalant to buying a sale item even though you did not need it in the first place. And attending board meetings and watching people fall for well-dressed, fluent “politians” can be quite irritating.
If you read the minutes you will see that it was not the $800,000 that would have been needed for turf. It is to treat all the playing fields at Octorara.
To say the Board is well dressed shows you haven’t ever been to a Board meeting.
For the first time i have allies on my side. I am in no way defending the school board but showing what they are up against.One big problem is act 9 a.k.a. as (pa pension time bomb ) look it up it will enlighten you.Also act 319 a.k.a. clean and green where owners of ten acres or more get up to a 50% tax break this alone takes away almost 5 million dollars in tax payer money and who makes up the difference me and you. also charter schools are killing us this is all thanks to the idiots in harrisburg.The building of new schools was based on speculation. Enrollment in Octorara has not changed since the seventies, we are still 70 million in debt from that .The last eight years taxes have risen 65% by the end of the decade we are looking at 50 mills.This is now a community problem who the hell would want to buy here and how are we supposed to sell ,what buisness person would want to come here . #1 in school taxes property values declining .There is no end in sight all non- mandated items eventually will have to be eliminated.Full time kindergarten was a mistake if you want to trim the budget, not everyone has children and putting a extra burden on the tax payer is completly WRONG . Mr. Hume said it best the people in this area have no money,but for the first time in his career he voted for a tax raise WHY.
My husband and I build our house with our own two hands know we are being forced out due to taxes. Like so many our age. There needs to be somthing done for those who live on an average income or less.
Gee I guess Republicans don’t have all the answers since most comments are against the republican board and government in Harrisburg. My suggestion is that people should start paying attention and vote in their own best interest not just for the person with the R next to their name! The wealthy don’t care about you no matter what you might want to believe.
Unfortunatly i believe that 5 school board members were voted in unopposed in 2012.
Unfortunately?
Who would want a job you spend countless hours with no pay looking at information and making informed decisions. Only to be second guessed by people that have no clue what they are talking about?
Only idiots, like Ken, would want that job.
Idiots, like Ken? Did you have to tell everyone?!
HB 1776 was our best chance, but Rep. Denlinger of Lancaster was too busy to vote. The Bill was tabled in committee as a result. Call him and tell him about your taxes. The pension system needs fixed, but this is largely because Rendell paid nothing into it for 8 years. Our representatives on the school board and council will respond if enough citizens demand it, but there were only 6 people at the board meeting and leading up to the 25% tax increase in Parkesburg the attendance was the same. There was a big bump up after the tax increase and now attendance is back down to a handful. Citizens have to stay vigilant to make their needs and wants known or we end up holding the bag. We have a very transient population in Parkesburg with over 40% of the homes being rented. Renters do not complain about taxes for the most part, this makes it even more important for homeowners to speak up before the decisions are made.
“Rendell paid nothing into it for 8 years.” A practice begun by Ridge, Rendell’s predecessor.
I called Denlinger’s office and they said he gave his proxy vote to someone who apparently voted the wrong way now it is in some house review.
He gave is proxy vote to the chairman of the committee without asking the chairman how he would vote. He “thought” the chairman was voting the same as him. He sent his aide to the chairman’s office to deliver the proxy and gave no instructions to his aide. Any way he tries to slice it, he caused the tabling of the Bill. Now, the chairman has to make a motion to revote it in committee which would trigger another committee vote to get it out to the full house. The chairman is not likely to take this action because he already made his vote to table the Bill. This means if it doesn’t happen by the end of this year it is dead and a new bill would have to be introduced.
Kind of like dumb and dumber.
You are right Ken and Ridge increased the payouts by 25% before he left for Homeland Security. A double whammy.
All of my questions setteld-thanks!
Try this on for size. There are 500 school districts each with a board consisting of 9 members. That makes for 4500 directors who need to get to Harrisburg “en masse” and not leave until they have a commitment from the LEADERS, not the grunts, that they will fix the property tax problem that is swamping everyone’s boat.
As an individual, the first statement you should make to your State Senator or Representative is that “I will not vote for you unless you fix the property tax problem,” and say it loud enough that everyone in the room can hear you.
They all work for us, and, as a group they are not doing what the vast majority wants done. They have wasted a whole term on imaginary “Voter ID Fraud”, attempting to sell State owned liquor stores, and rigging Block Grants that subvert the support of those in need.
There is not one bill or Act that this state legislation has enacted or talked about that relieves the property owner of his tax burden.
So, all 4500 school board directors need to get off their butts and light a fire under the Governor, and leaders or both parties to fix, not adjust, the property tax problem that effects everyone, not just the folks in the Octorara School District.
Taxes have not gone up 65% over the last eight years.
The actual increase is just over 30% over that time. The budget has decreased, but taxes have still had to rise.
In 2004 the millage rate was 22.540 in 2012 it is 36.66 Based on a home assessed at 150,000 at 22.540 your tax would be 3,381 at 36.66 mills tax would be 5,500 A increase of $ 2,119 or 64%
LL, you make some wonderful points. However, getting all of the districts to act is very unlikely given that there are quite a few that are doing very well and do not support changes to the current property tax system. It seems hard to believe from our perspective where Clean and Green has devastated our tax base, but there are lots of districts that have MUCH lower school tax rates and they do not want change that in many instances for them will raise taxes. Some of these districts will also see their per student allocations drop under a statewide formula. All of this said, you are right about contacting Senators and Legislators and telling them to ACT!
The tax increases are stifling to say the least, but in the same period of time my water/sewer bill went from $160 a year to $764, that’s a whopping 478%!!! Check out what your phone and TV bills have done in the same period. Compare these to the lower prices for mortgages and the practically stagnant price of clothing in the same period. Cars have hardly gone up, but look at the cost of insurance and healthcare. While I am a steadfast supporter of school tax reform and eliminating the property tax, I believe the relative cost of education has not been too bad. If you took away the unfunded mandate of “No Child Left Behind” and the silly addition of paying for charter and cyber schools, our taxes would be much lower today. Just a different view.
I still cannot believe our school district has to pay for children who attend a charter school. To me that is the same as a private school. The person who chose that school should pay the tuition. Not our school district. I’ve heard the cost to our district is 10,000 per student. Is that correct?? Are people really aware of this? We send our children to public school pay our taxes and pay to send others to a private charter school. That is outrageous.
Dave, sorry but I’m not willing to give either the School Board directors, governor, or both houses of the legislature a free pass. If the Governor and a majority of the legislators can sign up to a No Tax Increase pledge, then they can sign up to remove real estate taxes and spread the tax over all the people in the state not just those who have property.
If your state senator or representative can’t make that pledge to you, he or she is not doing the people’s business.
A free pass to school directors? When costs go up and the state doesn’t increase taxes- where is the money going to come from? Property taxes is the only funding source right now. The school directors, like a football team, have to play within the rules. They swore an oath to do that. You can’t take the seat unless you swear that oath. Too bad the people in Harrisburg don’t remember they swore an oath to make education one of their primary concerns.
Well you’re right LL. The governor has dropped the ball big time. A pledge to not raise taxes is meaningless because all he did was pass it down to the local level. His actions caused the taxes to go up, so in my mind he raised taxes.
Good news,H.B 1776 is on the move again as of june 27 , The House finance committe removes H.B. 1776 from the table with a 24-0 vote 1 no vote
This is excellent news on HB1776! Thanks
I’m wondering now, what happened to the IPads? I went to Sneak Peak night and Thursday’s Back To School night and not a word was mentioned. Three weeks into the year and the kids haven’t heard anything either. Anybody know what’s up?