Board mulls impact of extended budget impasse

ROYERSFORD >> If the latest rumors are to be believed, Harrisburg’s failure to pass a budget could continue for another year, one Spring-Ford school official said recently. With that potential dark cloud hanging over their heads, the school board began discussing its negative impact on students and taxpayers.

During Tuesday night’s school board meeting, board Vice President Joe Ciresi said he’s heard that until a new General Assembly is seated in January 2017, it’s un- likely there will be any progress in breaking the eight-month-long budget impasse.

“I hope it is just a rumor that isn’t true,” he said. “That we won’t see a state budget until January of 2017, ‘til there’s a new House and Senate. And maybe there’ll be resolution, which will not help us and other districts. And there will be some districts that will go bankrupt in the meantime.”

Ciresi is currently campaigning as a Democrat for state representative of the 146th District.

In Spring-Ford, an extended budget impasse could lead to deep budget cuts. Things like extracurricular activities and similar educational programs could be among the first on the chopping block should the district struggle to find ways to make ends meet.

“We’re doing everything that we can to prevent any kind of loss of educational value,” Ciresi said. “We want to keep all the standards of Spring-Ford held high, without going back and burdening our taxpayers because the state can’t do their job.”

At the end of the day students are the ones who would suffer most from slashed budgets, he said.

“We heard a great idea for the art program. We saw a great presentation for an extracurricular program where every kid in the building participated,” he said. “Without these budgets these things will disappear over time. None of us, and I know I can say this for everyone at this table, want to see that happen. But again our hands are tied.”

The district is finally climbing back from deep budget cuts made during the 2009-10 school year and board President Tom DIBELLO said he wants to avoid going through a similar experience.

“We had close to a $12 million deficit and we needed to make very tough decisions that had a tremendous impact on the district,” he said. “We have finally, after four or five years, finally brought a lot of the things back that we were forced to cut back in 2009-10. What I’m concerned about is what’s going to happen in the 2016-17 budget, because of what’s going on with the state.”

“They’re going to be forcing our hand again,” he continued. “We may be put in a situation where we’re going to have to make very tough decisions. At the end of the day it’s our students that lose out.”

Still, school districts are required by law to pass a balanced budget each year, regardless of what Harrisburg does. SPRINGFORD approved a $150 million

preliminary budget last month, which included filing with the Department of Education for 2016-17 referendum exceptions for special education expenditures ($1.7 million) and retirement contributions ($949,000) for a total estimated amount of $2.7 million. These referendum exceptions represent 2.7 percent and could be used for allowable milage over the Act 1 state index cap amount of 2.4 percent. Exceptions are permitted due to the recognition that there are extraordinary district expenses above the rate of inflation, according to the district.

Spring-Ford is just playing by the state’s rules and the real budget is still months away, DIBELLO said.

“We put forward a number that’s we’ve said numerous times over board meetings that’s just a number,” DIBELLO said. “The number that we put forward was the index plus two exceptions, or what we could raise taxes up to. We’re not saying that’s what the tax increase is going to be. That’s not what the budget’s going to be.”

He called it “beyond an embarrassment” that school boards are held accountable for the inaction of Harrisburg, and expressed his concern for the school districts already on the verge of bankruptcy.

“There’s districts now that are out getting loans to keep their doors open,” he said. “And there’s a fight in Harrisburg over who’s going to pick up the interest that these districts are going to have to pay because they’re getting loans to keep their doors open.”

The board as a whole is tired of taking the blame for Harrisburg’s failures, the two men said.

“In Sound Off we’re blamed for the taxes,” Ciresi said. “And I’ve yet to see anyone blamed at the state level for not sitting down after eight months. We can’t come to a table together to a resolution that works for the state of Pennsylvania? This is embarrassing.”