SHENANDOAH - The Shenandoah Valley school board formally adopted its 2013-14 budget - with no tax increase - at a June 10 special meeting.
The budget was tentatively adopted in April and the final version remains the same, with the real estate tax to remain at 53.30 mills. Each mill brings in about $70,000.
The current budget included a real estate tax increase of four mills furlough of 10 teacher and three teacher aide positions.
In addition to no tax increase, the new budget includes no staff cuts.
The 2013-14 budget of $16,120,873 is a decrease from the 2012-13 final budget of $16,133,004 and includes the following tax schedule with no changes:
- Earned income tax (Act 511) - one percent (shared), levied on salaries, wages, commissions and other compensation
- Realty transfer tax (Act 511) - one percent (shared)
- Per capita tax - $5 (As per Section 579).
-Per capita tax - $5 (As per Section 511 (shared)
- Occupation privilege tax (Act 511) - $10 (shared), levied on all individuals, residents and non-residents, employed in or engaged in any occupation in the school district
- Occupational assessment - $50 (As per Section 579)
- Five percent tax upon gross of any person/entity engaging in culm processing business.
- Ash disposal fee of $5 per ton for any cogeneration facility, person or persons, or other entity
Taxes marked as "shared" are divided for dis+tribution, with 50 percent to the school district and the remainder to the school district's municipalities, Shenandoah borough and West Mahanoy Township.
"I'm pleased that with the current budgeting we were able to hold the line on spending for the upcoming year," said district Superintendent Dr. Stanley G. Rakowsky. "There were no personnel cuts and we're hoping for a better economic turnaround in the future from Harrisburg."
In other business, the school board hired two new speech therapists for the upcoming school year.
The are Samantha Jansson at the starting salary of $39,571, plus applicable fringe benefits, pending receipt of Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE) certification, and Joy Orr at the starting salary of $37,480, plus applicable fringe benefits, pending receipt of PDE certification.
Rakowsky said speech therapy services have been provided through Schuylkill Intermediate Unit 29, but the change to in-house services will save money for the school district.
"We felt it would be economically advantageous to us in continuing to provide quality education for our kids," Rakowsky said. "It was just prudent to take over the program."
Rakowsky explained the need to have speech therapists in the school district.
"Kids who are identified with speech problems get an IEP (Individualized Education Program) approval, and in the plan they are due services," Rakowsky said. "Up to this point, we got the services from the intermediate unit. Because of increasing costs and needs, we decided to offer our own program. We're bringing in two speech teachers who are starting out of college. There will be considerable savings."
Rakowsky said the district savings are estimated at about $50,000 annually. About 125 students use the speech therapy services, which also includes students from Trinity Academy in Shenandoah.
The next meeting will be held at 7 p.m. June 26. There is no July meeting.