Board names new community budget panel

PHOENIXVILLE » The Phoenixville Area School Board named the latest addition of its Community Budget Advisory Committee earlier this month, carrying over just one member from last year’s committee.

Although Laura Bonnell is the only carry-over from the 2013-14 budget cycle, five members of past Community Budget Advisory Committees were named to the 17-member body to add some experience and know-how.

“I wanted to have a mixture of past members and new members so that, next year, we could consider instituting two-year staggered terms for Community Budget Advisory Committee members,” said Phoenixville Area School Board President Joshua Gould. “I think a lot of effort goes into learning about Phoenixville Area School District budgets and finances and it would be good for the (committee) to have both new and experienced members, but that is just my opinion.”

Changes such as the two-year term have been discussed since the board changed the way the Community Budget Advisory Committee operated last year.

The school board collectively put together the list of the new committee together. It was approved unanimously Oct. 17.

Phoenixville Director of Continuous Improvement Joe Antonio told The Mercury that “the board selected a handful of (committee) members from the past three years to be invited back.”

“The rest of the group are first-time participants who had responded to our public advertisements seeking new Community Budget Advisory Committee members,” according to Antonio.

Returning members from past Community Budget Advisory Committees include Mark Atherholt, Chris Cervino, Delfina Dougherty, Kerry Cole and Michelle Shamis.

A notable absence from the current iteration of the Community Budget Advisory Committee is Lisa Longo. A member last year, she regularly attends board and committee meetings.

Community Budget Advisory Committee members attend school board budget meetings from January through May and their own working sessions from October through December to familiarize themselves with the budget and ultimately provide recommendations and suggestions for the budget, according to the school district’s website.

The board will suggest topics for the committee to mull including outsourcing, extra-curricular funding, rental of facilities, and the “adaptive reuse of libraries and technology.”

“The district will provide relevant information for each specific budget topic to facilitate discussion as appropriate,” the website description of the committee said.

There were some issues last year with attendance of committee members, according to board members. Gould said he ruled out some members due to “a lack of participation” but, beyond that, there was “no particular bias for or against members from this past year.”

Nine freshman members will make up the 2014-15 committee: Alan Grover, Ben Rost. Phil Colaneri, Warren Andersmith, Eric Daughtry, Christopher White, Mike Eggleston, John Frampton, Paul Marwah, Kimberly Crowley and Toni Quattrone.

Although there “weren’t any specific qualities or criteria for the selection,” Gould said the committee would ideally have a mix of residents from all three municipalities within the school district as well as a balance of people with and without children who attend school in Phoenixville.

The committee already met Oct. 13 and 27.