The Herald, Sharon, Pa.

Local News

June 7, 2007

Directors paring down deficit in Sharon school budget

By Patrick W. Connelly

SHARON — When Sharon school directors realized in May their preliminary 2007-08 budget was about $1.4 million away from breaking even, they knew cuts were inevitable.

Since then, the board has been able to narrow the shortfall without making major cuts in staff or academic programs.

“We’re down in almost every category,” acting superintendent Michael Calla said at a budget hearing Wednesday.

Calla and Tresa Templeton, the district’s business manager, went over budget revisions with the board.

About $232,000 worth of cuts were made in expenditures, mostly coming from a change in how new computer printers are being set up.

Rather than using many inkjet printers in classrooms, a printing station will be positioned on each floor to cut toner costs, Calla said.

The only academic area that will be cut is an elementary handwriting program, but Calla said the school plans to develop its own.

Other cuts included utility costs, supplies and adjustments made in the number of textbooks needed as enrollment numbers for next fall are now more accurate.

The board is now only between $400,000 and $450,000 away from getting the deficit to zero, Calla said. More revisions are expected before the budget’s approval deadline at the end of the month.

Options include transferring money to a capital reserve fund or a possible tax increase to offset the estimated $112,000 difference in assessed property value from last year’s budget, Calla said.

The board didn’t say what the salary of new superintendent John Sarandrea will be or how it will factor into the budget.

In May, the board was almost $840,000 over budget, but after Mrs. Templeton and Calla were able to crunch numbers, the deficit was able to be reduced.

The proposed budget of $26,762,377 will again be reviewed at Monday’s work session, Calla said.

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