JERSEY SHORE — In his remarks to the Jersey Shore Area School board, Ben Enders, district business manager, delivered some good and some not so good news to the board.

The good news is that the tuition rates for charter school students are less for the next school year while the not so good news is that the district owes the department of education money for projects at the middle and high schools.

Enders reported that tuition rates for regular education students attending charter school is $13,580, a decrease of just over $1,100 from the amount for the 2023-24 school year, which was $14,700. For special education students attending brick and mortar charter schools, the rates will be $29,905 and for cyber charter schools the rates will be just over $27,000. Both show a decrease of about $1,400 for Sugar Valley Charter School and $4,000 for cyber charter schools.

In the not so good news, Enders revealed that the district owes the Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE) over $500K for the PlanCon J projects.

“On Sept. 17, PDE approved our PlanCon J’s for both of middle school and high school project. Middle school and high school projects, we’re talking about projects that were done in early 2000. Through the past month, we’ve been working with PDE on the dollars of those PlanCon J’s and what its impact is to the district. Last week, it was finalized that the district owes PDE $536,1131.92,” he said.

The district had submitted the PlanCon J’s in January and at the same time had received a reimbursement for the Jersey Shore Elementary project, and at that time the district knew that they would probably owe money for the middle and high school projects.

“When we got the reimbursement from JSE, the board voted to commit a majority portion of those funds to fund the two PlanCon J’s,” he said.

“The good news is that you have $380,000 sitting in your fund balance that will pay for them. You will have to use $155,000 of your uncommitted fund balance to offset the rest,” he explained.

Enders said that a resolution will be placed on a future agenda to uncommit the $380,000 for the money owed to PDE.

The budget timeline for the 2025-26 fiscal year was also reported by Enders showing that District’s deadline to adopt a resolution authorizing a proposed preliminary budget display and advertising or adopting a resolution indicating that it will not raise the rate of any tax by more than its index is Jan. 27 with a legal deadline of Jan. 30.

Under personnel, the board approved David Herman as the girl’s assistant varsity wrestling coach at a stipend of $4,597 effective for the 2024-25 season.

Other personnel items on the agenda relating to the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) are denoted by employee numbers because law does not permit names to be divulged.

According to the Department of Labor’s website, “FMLA is designed to help employees balance their work and family responsibilities by allowing them to take reasonable unpaid leave for certain family and medical reasons. It also seeks to accommodate the legitimate interests of employers and promote equal employment opportunity for men and women.”

The board approved $3,290 for the royalties, rentals and materials for three performances of Mary Poppins for the high school’s musical.

In other actions, the board approved the following items: the purchase of a 2024 Transit-150 cargo RWD low roof replacement delivery van from New Holland Auto Group Fleet for $60,137; and a field review of the Avis property by Hollick Land Surveying not to exceed $700.

During the public comment period, several district residents spoke in opposition to a possible closure of Salladasburg Elementary School, with one resident presenting the board with a petition signed by over 400 residents opposing the move.

There were also two people who voiced their concerns about what they allege are changes to the interactions between the board and the public during meetings.

“My main concern is communication in the district,” said Bob Pryor, of Mifflin Township.

“We have nine directors, three districts, and there’s no way the taxpayers can communicate with our directors — no way at all,” Pryor said.

“You can’t do it here because they’re not required to answer us. We can’t ask them the questions because we have to go through the president…there’s no way for us to hold them accountable except four years down the road at an election,” Pryor stated.

He said that he felt it was important that the taxpayers be able to have a “forum to meet and ask our directors questions and get some answers.”

“I think it’s wrong,” he said, claiming that emails and phone calls go unanswered from some of the board members.

All taxpayers, not just those with children in the district’s schools, should have a say on issues, he said.

“Why do they have input when all the taxpayers don’t? You know, questionnaires on the internet, on the district website. They know about that, so let’s be fair and not go biased,” Pryor said.

Another resident, John Shireman, expressed concern that the board solicitor was running the meetings and not the board president or the superintendent.

During the public comment period at the Oct. 14 meeting, board solicitor Chris Kenyon intervened when a district resident began criticizing Superintendent Brian Ulmer. Kenyon warned the resident to be respectful if they wanted to continue speaking.

Shireman disagreed with that interaction.

“Legal counsel is hired by the administration and the school board for legal advice or legal decisions,” he said. “They have no right to be running the meeting as they choose.”

Board president Michelle Stemler noted that, under board policy, the solicitor as well as the board president can address people who are speaking at the podium.

The next meeting of the board will be at 7 p.m. Nov. 11 at the District Administration Building, 175 A&P Drive.