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Schools

Marple Newtown School Officials Present Preliminary 2012-13 Budget

The Marple Newtown School Board discussed the 2012-13 preliminary budget with a potential 3.59 percent tax increase at a Budget and Finance Committee meeting on Nov. 15.

NEWTOWN SQUARE–At the ' Budget and Finance Committee meeting on Tuesday night, Business Administrator Joseph Driscoll presented the preliminary 2012-13 district budget to the board, mentioning at several points that what he was trying to build was a "worst-case scenario budget."

In 2012-13, the preliminary budget projects a level budget overall, Driscoll said.

Retirement rate is one aspect of the budget that will change this year. The percentage the school district is expected to pay next school year is 12.9 percent, increasing what the school district must pay out by $500,000, Driscoll said.  "It's the biggest cost driver we have this year."

Driscoll also suggested that it would be wise for the board to begin thinking about long-term future planning, such as working towards a monetary cushion for future years.

"I know [budgets] can become very short-term focused, but now is the time to have these conversations," he said.

School board vice president Richard Sokorai and president David McGinley both said they would not want to increase the tax burden on township residents for potential future expenses.

"I, for one, am all for long-term plans, but I don't think we should increase the tax burden on citizens for expenses that may accrue in the future," Sokorai said. "I think we have to deal with that when the time comes."

McGinley also agreed. "I don't think you should tax people now for future anythings."

Driscoll reiterated the benefits of multi-year budgeting. "We've had a couple tough years, and when you have a year in which you may or may not be able to mitigate, I don't want to stand up here two years from now and someone says, 'Well, why didn't we do this, Joe?'"

McGinley said he would not vote for a tax increase higher than 3 percent this year. . The number Driscoll was working with for the preliminary budget—before making any cuts—was 3.59 percent.

"I think it's an outrage to be above 3 [percent]. We need to be below 3—even if it's 2.9 percent. My comfort level is 3 percent or lower," McGinley said.

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Staff Additions For 2012-13

Superintendent Merle Horowitz explained several additional staff requirements expected in the 2012-13 school year:

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  • A third-grade teacher at . Right now, the school has what is probably the largest class Horowitz has seen in her time at Marple Newtown, she said.
  • A full-time psychologist. Right now, there are five psychologists for six schools, placing an undue burden on the district's psychologists, Horowitz said.
  • A full-time teacher for developmentally delayed students. The class at Loomis has been "enormously successful."
  • A .3 addition to foreign language staff. The district is , and next year the current part-time German teacher will become a full-time Spanish instructor.
  • 1.5 additional custodial staff. Additionally, following the high school renovations, Mike Dumin, school district operations manager, anticipated additional custodial staff but suggested that this need could be filled by hiring one full-time custodian and buying a floor-cleaning robot, which would be an initial cost investment but would save the district money in future years, since the per-year maintenance cost is estimated at $2,000. "It's a unique opportunity to try something new–$2,000 a year versus $30,000 a year," Dumin said, in which one custodial staff is estimated to cost around $30,000.

The total estimated cost of all the additional staff in the preliminary 2012-13 budget, assuming there are two additional custodial staff and excluding the floor-cleaning robot, is $230,000 per year.

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