By ROBERTA SLANINA O’BRIEN

With officials still coming up empty-handed when it comes to reducing costs, the Northgate School Board has approved a preliminary 2010-11 budget that will increase property taxes by the full 3.1 mills allowed by the state.

Initially limited to a tax increase totalling a fraction of that amount, the district successfully applied for exceptions from the Pennsylvania Department of Education that gave the school board the power to raise the millage rate beyond the annual index amount without having to obtain voter approval of a ballot referendum.

This year's (2009-10) budget deficit is expected to be about $1 million. Currently there is $1.8 million in the reserve fund, with $800,000 allotted to balance this year's budget.

"Based on this year's numbers, if we use the reserve fund, and we use the maximum exception, we will end up with $325,000.00 in the bank at the end of 2010-2011," stated finance committee chair Daniel O'Keefe.

"We have been pulling reserves down for a couple of years," O'Keefe said. Superintendent Dr. Reggie Bonfield said that the fund will take on even more importance if the district does not qualify for exemptions next year.

"If we could not pull from the reserves, we would have no choice but to cut programs. We need to remain cognizant that the index this year is 2.9, but because of the economy it will probably be lower next year. The federal and state grant money that we currently have is $2.1 million with programs like Title I and IDA. These programs could also be cut, worsening the situation," said Bonfield.

Bonfield said that the district continues to seek grant funds to augment local revenues, but there are restrictions on how some of the funds can be used.

"You can add teachers with these grants, but you can't fund a current teacher," Bonfield said.

The budgetary future at Northgate is bleak, with state pension contributions escalating in the next few years to increase schools’ expenditures in that area by millions of dollars. School board members, who held a special meeting Monday to discuss possible budget cuts, predicted that radical changes could be on the horizon.

"Since athletics are 2.1 percent of the budget or approximately $400,000, it looks like athletics and activities are the only place where we can talk significant numbers," said board president Susan Nolan.

When asked if there were any athletic programs that could be cut, committee chairman David Natale responded, "No. The day the district starts cutting activities and sports is the day we should close our doors. It would be a huge loss, not just from an athletic perspective, but because of the team and social skills that the students learn in these programs."

Volunteer coaching was mentioned as an alternative to the stipends now paid. At the suggestion of reducing the coaching stipends, Bonfield noted, "Our coaches salaries are on the low end and have gone up only 2 percent a year. We don't have as many as other districts and we don't pay them as well. These coaches work beyond the playing season. These jobs are really year long. It may look like a lot of money, but considered on an hourly basis, it is not."

It was noted that stipends and activities should be discussed in the next contract negotiations with teachers.

Natale brought up the possibility of redistricting the three schools, something Bonfield had said at a prior meeting was the only way to make significant budget cuts by eliminating personnel.

At Monday’s meeting, Bonfield said that redistricting is a complicated process that requires a petition and significant community involvement. He mentioned that redistricting most likely would raise the issue of busing students, not from a legal standpoint, but from a practical perspective when elementary school children might have to attend school in another town.

“Because of dynamic school populations and the need to adjust as populations change, redistricting doesn't seem viable. It is good for a maximum of only about two years," said Bonfield.

He said that Northgate’s elementary school populations are growing. The first step to redistricting would be to complete a feasibility study with population projections, he said.

The board once again focused on cutting the college trips for students to visit various schools. The $4,000, I-79 Corridor trip line item already has been taken out of the 2010-11 budget. Still in the budget is the $3,500 eastern college trip. The $3,500 covers the teachers' hotel rooms, the bus, and the bus driver's salary while out of town.

Nolan suggested that trips might be scheduled closer to home and students eventually could pick up half the cost of the bus.

"If we could start transferring the cost to the student next year, we could better gauge the true interest of the program," said Nolan.

It was agreed that a gradual transition to transfer the financial burden to the students was preferred to a radical approach. It was unanimously approved to transfer one-third of the cost of the bus to the students next school year, and to bring the program up for discussion again next year.

It also was unanimously approved to have only a school play and not a musical in the 2011-12 school year. In light of individual student concerns, it was decided that this should be announced next school year, and actually adopted in the 2011-12 budget. Reasons for dropping the musical were cost and also the fact that vocalists have other opportunities to perform, such as choir concerts. In addition to the staff stipends, $4,000 is budgeted for a production. Bonfield said that the district shows are run on a shoestring, with other schools spending $30,000 - $35,000 per production, with elaborate costumes and backdrops, musical directors etc. It was suggested that students could hold a dinner theatre or mystery theater to replace the musical.

The board also looked at adjunct teaching positions. Currently there are four adjunct positions that cost the district $80,000. The adjuncts act as substitutes in the classroom when teachers are in core cross-disciplinary meetings. They travel among the buildings and lend continuity to classroom instruction, Bonfield said, adding that the need for adjuncts is increasing and that it probably would be more expensive not to have them.

"The trend is for more core meetings, not less. If we use teachers by taking their preparation time from them, it will be more expensive, " said Bonfield. He suggested that a longer teacher day may help with this issue, and can be looked at in the contract negotiations.

Board member Marita Bartholomew pointed out that the savings discussed in the meeting were minimal, and that the board needed to find more substantial cuts.

Nolan said that the only way to cut taxes will be to cut athletics and activities.

"It is the only area where we will be able to see big gains," she said.

There was no response when Nolan asked if anyone had any other suggestions.

Nolan concluded the meeting by reminding everyone to stay focused on the topic because the hard decisions were coming.

“When it gets ugly, we will need to face eliminating sports, music, art, or extracurricular activities, or we will need to find another school district with which to merge," she said.

Board member Charles Miklos was absent.