Tax increase, if any, will be no more than 5.4 percent in Wellsboro school district

WELLSBORO - The Wellsboro Area School Board likely will vote that it may go up to, but not exceed, the state-set limit of 5.4 percent for the 2009-10 budget.

At a work session Tuesday night, all of the board members in attendance agreed verbally that is how they would vote next week.

Many also agreed that just because they go to that index it does not mean they would vote for that much of an increase. In fact, the preliminary budget presented by district business manager Marcia Newcomb contains no increase to the last year's millage rates for both Tioga and Lycoming counties.

However, the preliminary budget does show a $328,785 revenue shortfall and overall, a 4.02 percent increase over last year's budget.

If the vote goes as expected, the board will not be able to apply for any exceptions to state or put a referendum on the ballot requesting to raise taxes beyond the limit allowed by the state under Act 1, the Property Tax Relief law.

By approving the resolution, the board now will have to adopt a preliminary budget by the end of May and final budget by the end of June. If the board had not approved the resolution, it would have had to adopt the district's preliminary budget by the end of January.

At the work session, the board also heard from Shannon Kennedy, president of the Parent Teacher Association for Don Gill and Charlotte Lappla elementary schools, that three of the four district schools do not have coverage by a nurse on certain mornings: at Don Gill Elementary, Tuesday and Thursday; at Rock L. Butler Middle School, Wednesday; and at Wellsboro Area High School, Friday.

Kennedy said in November parents expressed concerns over not having a nurse on call, especially, for example, if a child had an allergic reaction. "It could be a life or death situation," Kennedy said.

Also she said parents discussed what could happen legally to the district if medications were administered improperly by someone not qualified to dispense medications. In one case, she said a parent came to the school to administer medications to her child, to which board vice president Anna Vail responded that was the right thing to do.

However, Kennedy countered that was not possible for all parents.

Board member Dennis Crumb said during budget time was the appropriate time for discussion of a part-time position to fill those hours. He also said, ethically, the board had an obligation, as he noted he has some of the same concerns as the parents.

Board member Al Bieber said he believed it would be just a simple change of schedule with medications. Vail said that she believed it was a parent's responsibility when a proper medication was administered.

However, Dr. Lisa Feil, director of student services, said that certain students have to have a medication administered immediately because of the condition they have. "To make the parent change to fit the school's need may be not be practical," Crumb added.

Vail later said, "We can't throw money at things." Asked what it would cost to cover those hours, Waber said off the top of his head he estimated $8,000 to $10,000. He said he could have more firm figures next week, noting that money was not in the budget.

In other business, the board verbally agreed by majority to grant an extension request of six months to Century 21 of Wellsboro to continue listing 2 Charles St., the district's former administration building. The board is expected to vote next week on the request from realtor Kevin Ryan, who said that the price for the building in the middle of the borough had dropped from $340,000 to $249,000.