Quakertown School District administrators presented a revised 2005-06 operating budget Thursday night, which
reduces spending by nearly $670,000.
Some school board directors and residents weren't satisfied the cuts were deep enough.
School Director Julie Fagan said more could be done to reduce the $74.4 million spending plan, which is
an 11.7 percent increase over last year.
''I think we need to look at implementing activities fees for our extracurricular programs and looking at
what else we can reduce,'' Fagan said. ''We need to see what other districts have done, so the students who are benefiting
from the programs help pay for them.''
School Director Kelly Van Valkenburgh said students who can't afford to pay might give up.
Richland Township resident Kevin Wolfinger said he's opposed to a tax increase.
''This is the second year in a row we're looking at a big increase. There are people who've lived here their
whole lives and now are faced with having to move because they can't afford increasing taxes,'' Wolfinger said.
The school board will vote on a final budget May 12.
School district Business Manager Sylvia Lenz said some of the additional budget cuts came from trimming
special education costs by $15,710, eliminating $370,000 in computer equipment, reducing $80,000 in salaries because of teacher
retirements, and increasing student parking fees from $10 to $25 per year at the high school.
The revised budget calls for an 11.9-mill increase for a total of 117 mills.Under the new tax formula, the
Quakertown rate was converted from 421 mills to 105.25 mills this year. The average tax is $2,607. A mill is equal to $1 for
every $1,000 of a homes assessed value.
At their meeting April 14, school directors asked for close to $1 million in cuts from a then-proposed $74.9
million spending plan.
''We can go deeper, but it will mean cutting programs, reducing instructional support aides or cutting guidance
counselors,'' School Superintendent James Scanlon said.
Scanlon read on Thursday an invoice for 40 percent of the costs to fund special education or $1.7 million.
The invoice, signed by Scanlon, was sent Thursday to President George W. Bush, U.S. Rep. Michael, G. Fitzpatrick, R-Bucks,
and Republican U.S. Sens. Arlen Specter and Rick Santorum.
According to the invoice:
''During 2003, we received less than 11 percent of our Total District Expenditure on special education ...
It is becoming increasing difficult to balance our budget and we are asking the federal government for their outstanding share
of the balance in the amount of $1,705,900.''
Melinda Rizzo is a freelance writer.
