It looks like budget limbo for the Bucks County Technical School. Needing at least four of six participating school districts to approve the 2008-2009 budget, only Bristol, Neshaminy and Pennsbury have approved. Bensalem and Morrisville have postponed action, and Bristol Township flatly rejected it.
The Emperor and company are doing the right thing here. There. I said it. It was hard to type, but it's accurate, despite the absolutely chilling special snarl the Emperor adds to his verbal assaults on special education costs. Memo to the Tech School staff: The Emperor is coming next week.
BTW, kudos to Marlys Mihok for looking into the tax assessment issue in the borough. That's also the right thing to do. No spot assessments, but a fair overview to ensure we're all paying our fair share. Does anyone know what the Steele Report is? She keeps mentioning that.
This is a big district vs. little district issue, and in just the same way the U.S. Constitution was cobbled together as a compromise between the big states (Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, Virginia) and the little states (Delaware, New Jersey), another compromise will need to be made. If the figure mentioned below is accurate, Bristol Township subsidizes Neshaminy to the tune of a cool half million.
If that's the case, forget walking under the limbo stick. Pick up the stick and smack that funding formula into fairness.
Technical school budget in limbo
Neshaminy could end up paying $500,000 more in annual costs due to special education costs while Bristol Township could save that much.
By JOAN HELLYER STAFF WRITER
Bucks County Technical High School’s proposed 2008-2009 budget is in a holding pattern because the schools boards in two of its sending districts have postponed a vote on the financial plan.
The Bensalem and Morrisville school boards agreed Wednesday night to postpone their respective votes until they receive more information about the comprehensive technical high school’s funding formula.
The postponements leave the BCTHS budget just shy of the votes needed for approval. The school’s bylaws call for four of the six sending districts and at least 28 board members to approve the budget.
The Bristol, Neshaminy and Pennsbury school boards have approved the budget. A total of 26 board members have voted in favor of it, officials said.
The Bensalem and Morrisville postponements come two days after the Bristol Township school board rejected the proposed budget to protest a lack of movement on suggested revisions to the tech school’s funding formula.
Right now, the six sending districts share the costs incurred to educate special education students. But a movement has been under way for several months to pay the special education costs, often higher than mainstream expenses, on an actual usage basis.
The revised formula could save Bristol Township as much as $500,000 per year in expenses, officials said.
Neshaminy, the district that could end up having to pay as much as $500,000 more in annual costs because a large number of its special education students attend BCTHS, has opposed the revised formula.
Board members Frank Koziol, William Spitz and Ritchie Webb again voiced opposition to the revisions Wednesday night before Neshaminy voted unanimously to approve the tech school’s budget.
The tech school budget needs to be approved by June 30, BCTHS Administrative Director Scott Parks said. The Bensalem and Morrisville boards are not scheduled to meet again until May.
Friday, April 25, 2008
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