Mars considers budget with no tax increase

The Mars Area school board will vote April 14 on a preliminary budget that keeps all programs and does not call for a real estate tax increase.

The $45.2 million budget also adds a middle school teacher and replaces all retiring teachers, said Jill Swaney, business manager.

Taxes will remain at 99 mills. That means the owner of a home assessed at $100,000 will pay $990 in school taxes.

Last year’s budget was $43.5 million.

Also during Tuesday’s work session, the district’s auditor told board members that previous budgets have been realistic and praised the district for staying on budget despite cutbacks in state funding of education.

“We’ve weathered the storm pretty well. It has been managed from a fiscally conservative point of view,” board president J. Dayle Ferguson said. “We’ve been fortunate in this community that we can focus on education.”

Mrs. Ferguson and board members also commented on the district’s second “take a school board member to school day.”

During March, board members are encouraged to spend a day with a classroom teacher. This year, most board members spent two half-days with teachers.

“They have a lot of energy, and a half day, for me, was more than enough,” Rita Dorsch said of her time with second- and third-graders. She later spent half of a day in a fourth-grade classroom.

Rebecca Brown and Gordon Marburger also spent time in elementary classrooms, while Christine Valenta shadowed a learningsupport teacher at the middle school. John Kennedy and Steve Boggs worked with high school teachers.

“I am thankful for the teachers who gave us the opportunity to walk in their shoes,” Mrs. Valenta said.