Souderton Area finance committee discusses state appropriations

The Souderton Area 6FKRRO BRDUG’V finDnFH committee discussed the state budget when it met Aug. 1. While area legislators touted additional money for school districts just after the budget was passed in June, William R. Stone, director of business affairs for the Souderton Area School District, said the money from the state was not a large increase.

In an interview after the meeting, Stone said the additional money was “really political spin.”

The district had already budgeted for retirement reimbursement from the state. Under the formula in use, the state pays the district for half its retirement costs.

“That wasn’t additional money they found us at the 11th hour,” said Stone. “We already budgeted for that money. That wasn’t any new money. We did get $164,000 in additional block grant money when the governor’s budget said we weren’t getting any. We’re just getting the same as last year so we don’t consider it as additional money. We have been hearing from the public, asking, ‘What are you doing with the additional money?’”

Stone said he provided “PRUH RI D FODULfiFDWLRn” DW the meeting.

Each year, the Public School Employees’ RetirePHnW 6yVWHP ERDUG FHUWLfiHV the employer contribution, Stone said. This year, the district will pay $6 million or 12.36 percent of total salaries, Stone said. Next year, it will pay $8 million.

Stone also presented charts of the various amounts the district receives from the state: $8.4 million in basic education subsidy; $2.8 million for special education; and $163,752 for the accountability block grant, the latter being the additional amount the district had received from the state. Other subsidies are “formula driven based on actual costs,” he said.

The district received a total of $22 million from the state, he said.

“I trust the numbers comLnJ RuW Py RIfiFH PRUH WKDn [from] the state,” Stone said.

Stone also outlined changes to the school code, including increasing the limit from $10,000 to $18,500 for when a district must seek competitive bids; a moratorium on Plan Con, which reimburses districts on a portion of construction costs; and allowing districts to change educational programs without getting approval from the state.

Also, the legislature had discussed changing how charter schools are funded but then made no change.

The district now pays charter schools $9,648 in tuition for regular education students and $21,814 for special education students, Stone said.

Scott Jelinski, who chairs WKH finDnFH FRPPLWWHH, VDLG that while he appreciates the money the state gives the district, it did not get $1.4 million extra. Instead, it received the retirement contribution as expected and the $163,752 additional block grant money, which wasn’t in the governor’s original budget.

“We’ve always kept an eye on these grants,” said Jelinski. “I’m confused. That money, not only for us but all the surrounding districts, that would be fantastic. It’s not what it is being sold as.”