The Herald, Sharon, Pa.

Local News

December 4, 2008

District already following Pa. study

By Courtney Anderson

SHEAKLEYVILLE AREA — Commodore Perry School District could save between $42,000 and $74,500 a year by teaming up with other area districts, a state-funded study has found.

The small northern Mercer County district is one of seven county school districts participating in the Common Cents Initiative, which provided $1 million for consultants to look at possible ways to improve efficiency in 11 different areas. The other districts are Farrell, Hermitage, Jamestown, Sharon, Sharpsville and West Middlesex.

Commodore Perry Superintendent Michael Stahlman said the district is already doing all the things the consultants recommended except for one, and it is something school officials suggested consultants look at.

A report presented to school board members in November suggests Commodore Perry could save $12,600 to $25,200 through sharing specialized transportation services for out-of-district routes.

It’s something Stahlman said board members think they can look at, but they haven’t discussed it yet.

The district, which the report notes has one building that houses about 600 students in kindergarten through 12th grade, covers 74 square miles, Stahlman said.

Transportation, especially for special education, is a significant part of the budget, he said. In 2008-09, it accounts for 9 percent of the district’s $8.1 million spending plan.

Stahlman said it can get pretty expensive if you look at the cost per child. If Commodore Perry, Jamestown, Greenville and Lakeview, for example, each transport one child to the Shenango Valley every day, a central dropoff point and taking one vehicle could save all the districts money.

One issue is that Commodore Perry’s neighboring districts aren’t part of the Common Cents program, Stahlman said.

The law, which requires that any savings be spent on academics, was introduced by state Rep. Mark Longietti of Farrell, D-7th District.

The study found other ways the district could possibly save money, though no opportunities were found in the areas of safety and security, finance and payroll, human resources or administration.

Between $5,500 and $12,000 in potential savings could be realized through joint purchasing of office supplies, and $4,500 to $5,800 could be saved on custodial supplies, consultants reported. They also said $6,200 to $10,000 in savings could come from shared purchasing of utility audits.

The study found that $11,300 to $17,000 could be saved by working with other districts on food service management, and $1,000 to $2,100 could be saved from sharing services for textbook purchases. Sharing technology purchases could save the district $800 to $2,300.

School directors must decide by Feb. 16 whether to allow Common Cents to implement the ideas or abandon the suggestions.

Stahlman said board members will discuss the suggestions in January.

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