The Bradford Area School Board voted to approve the preliminary
general fund budget which will make it the fifth year that taxes
have not have been raised in the district.

Business Manager Kathy Kelly provided the media with a copy of
the budget packet. In the packet, it is shown that total revenues
will be $32,990,429, an increase of $1,044,842 or 3.2 percent.

According to the report, “taxes from various levies and other
local sources are expected to be $14,717,509. Of this amount,
$11,418,488 is related to real property and public utility realty
taxes along with payments in lieu of taxes and real estate tax
transfers.”

The report adds that the assessment base increased $4,870,490,
which provided $104,813 in additional tax dollars. The millage rate
is now 21.52 mills.

Administrative payroll expenditures decreased by $173,648. This
was possible because two administrative positions were eliminated
through attrition, grant funding for some salaries was used, and
replacement savings and retirements, states the report.

The report adds that salaries and benefits total 6.9 percent of
the operating budget, a drop of 1 percent. Total expenditures
increased $1,544,042 or 4.84 percent with the extra $500,000
capital reserve transfer. Without this transfer expenditures
increased 3.27 percent or $1,044,842 to $32,990,429, continued the
report.

“The transfer to the capital reserve fund is funded at $941,009,
$500,000 coming from the general fund balance,” Kelly said in the
report.

“The increase includes $131,009 for renovations of two science
labs at Bradford Area High School,” added the report. During the
meeting a PowerPoint presentation showed that the science labs had
not been updated since the 1960s.

In other business, it was announced that several projects would
be conducted in many different areas of the school district,
including a new school bus lane at School Street Elementary,
flooring, seating and carpeting replacement at the high school, and
a security system at the maintenance building, among other
projects.

The total cost for all of the projects, according to Kelly,
would be more than $1 million, but exact numbers would not be known
until the jobs are bid out.

Before the vote to complete the work listed, director Joe
Troutman said he is against any type of work conducted at the
maintenance garage as he believes that it should be done away with.
He believes that the maintenance personnel could be housed in any
of the other school district buildings.

The directors also approved a revised general operating budget
for the Intermediate Unit Nine. Bradford’s contribution is
$85,741.

The Bradford Area School District and the union for the bus
drivers, maintenance personnel and custodians has been ratified and
will be effective July 1 through June 30, 2009.

The contents of the contract is not known at this time. The
school board directors voted to accept with director Tim Bean
absent and director Richard Roupe voting no.

The board voted to reappoint Christian Mattie III of Mattie
& Alfieri as solicitor for the 2006-07 school year. The
retainer is now up $1,000 from $7,500 to $8,500. His hourly rate
will be $130 for partners and $100 for associates for work not
covered by the retainer which includes litigation, hearings,
arbitration, extensive research, investigations, labor relations,
and meetings.

Troutman asked Kelly what the total charges from Mattie were
from last year, even though she did not know exact numbers she said
it was in the $20,000 range.

She told Troutman that she would supply that information to
him.

The board accepted several resignations, including that of Todd
Stanko, assistant principal at the high school.

Prior to the meeting, Lee Ann Doynow confirmed that William
Hawthorne, a Fretz Middle School math teacher, has been on medical
leave with pay since February. Doynow said that she could not
reveal reasons due to HIPPA regulations, but said that before his
return, he will be re-evaluated.

During the students and curriculum section of the meeting, Sarah
Schreiber and Deanna Kemick described their program of elementary
inclusion and what it involves. They each said that they could see
improvements in students who have been involved in the program.

The program offers a classroom instruction where there are
students who are both with and without disabilities learning
together. They said they have seen improvement in the students with
disabilities as they have seen a rise in their reading skills
abilities.

Even with those improvements, they have also seen a rise in
respect for others in both sets of students as well as better
cooperation skills and an increase in academic motivation.

Director Keith Hatch said he was happy to see the program be
successful and said that even small accomplishments count.

Later, the two women were asked how they intended to get
parental involvement and they said they have had conferences, but
do hope to get more parents involved.

Schreiber and Kemick were also asked how they have compared and
measured gains to which they replied the program is still new, but
plan to keep an eye on changes and keep statistics.

Monday was Matthew Russell’s last night as a student
representative at the school board meetings. The newly-elected
student council president will take his place on the board
soon.