Pennsbury Budget Woes

You hear what I'm saying? The budget is too high! It's my job to cut the taxes. That's what the people of Morrisville voted us in to do, and that's what I'm going to do.

But, Mr. Hellmann...this is the Pennsbury school district.

I'm just practicing. Fitz will make sure it happens. Besides, why aren't you cutting the special education budget?

Budget panel’s suggestions include hiring freeze
The citizens advisory budget committee also recommended cutting expenditures by 2 percent to relieve the tax burden on residents.
By MANASEE WAGH

Pennsbury’s citizens advisory budget committee suggests that the district freeze hirings and trim expenditures by 2 percent to hold the line on taxes.

“We expect them to do more with less,” said Gary Cruzan, a committee member and a Lower Makefield resident.

According to proposed figures, the owner of a $31,160 average assessed property in the district is facing $4,574 in real estate taxes next year — an increase of $231.

The committee wants the district to relieve some of the tax burden by reducing next year’s roughly $174.5 million proposed budget. It’s up about 4 percent more than this year’s.

Cruzan said he hopes next year’s contract negotiations take into account that the taxpayer “bears the burden” of salaries and benefits. The district’s total salaries and benefits are expected to constitute about three-quarters of the budget next year.

Board member Gene Dolnick came up with the idea to form the committee for more citizen participation in the budget process, said Gregory Lucidi, the board president. Last November, administration members appointed seven residents from three of the four municipalities that make up the Pennsbury district. Nobody from Tullytown applied.

The other three people on the committee are part of the administration and include Isabel Miller, the district’s business administrator.

The advisory committee’s goal is to provide recommendations to the school board for reducing costs and generating revenue, so that taxes can be kept as low as possible.

Cruzan wants the public to know that the seven residential members, who worked as a group without a chairman, oppose the tax hike the district unveiled May 8.

“Every year, they ask for a tax increase that exceeds inflation, but the economy is in a very big slowdown and it’s time to get realistic,” he said.

Cruzan stressed that the committee doesn’t want any cutbacks or changes that would adversely affect education in the district.

Instead of cutting programs or funding to educational services, Cruzan said the seven members would like to see the board and administration work on reducing expenses in other areas, such as:

• Impose an immediate hiring freeze for all positions not mandated by law for 2008-09.
• Identify capital expenses, purchases and operational and maintenance expenses that can be deferred until the following budget year.
• Provide incentives for district budget managers to find ways to save.
• Ask all district employees to generate ideas for cost savings based on their familiarity with district operations.
• Track down violators of the district’s residency requirements to avoid paying for students who belong in another district.
• Start a comprehensive review of building usage to see if the district is making efficient use of space.
• Review printing and mailing costs.
• Find ways to extract small savings from sources like various employee benefits, district insurance policies, telephone costs and other sundry expenses.
  

The committee also is looking for a solution to transportation costs, which have been rising as a result of higher fuel prices.

Committee members will present details of these recommendations in a video, which will be posted after June 5 on the Pennsbury School District Web site, www.pennsbury.k12.pa.us.

The school board and administration have said they will continue looking for ways to reduce tax increases next year, including reviewing the advisory committee’s recommendations.

After the administration presented the proposed budget in early May, Lucidi said his goal was to stay below the state’s mandated 4.4. percent tax increase cap.

On Tuesday, Miller said she anticipates a significant reduction to the proposed tax hike by June 12, when the final budget is supposed to be adopted. The advisory committee has been meeting since Dec. 6, considering the administration’s advice and input along the way. The seven residential members want the administration to include them in the process of determining the feasibility of their proposal, according to their report.

“The budget is like any other entity. It has to get real, and the school district has to share the sacrifices that private citizens have to make,” said Cruzan. “We don’t necessarily expect the district to follow our recommendations, but we feel the recommendations should carry weight and be considered, because we’re a cross-section of the community.”