SCASD board welcomes new members

On Monday evening, the State College Area School District board of directors welcomed three new members and reviewed the initial details of the proposed preliminary budget.

The night began with a reorganizational meeting during which incoming board members Amy Bader, Gretchen Brandt and Dan Duffy were sworn in by President Judge Thomas Kistler, who was sporting a burgundy Little Lions jacket, a memento of his time at State High.

From there, it was down to business and following nominations and a roll call vote, Amber Concepcion and Jim Leous were re-elected as board president and vice president, respectively.

After reorganizational business concluded, the board was briefed by Ed Poprik, director of physical plant, on routine projects for the summer of 2016 construction calendar. To make sure that everything can be completed during the summer time frame, the administration will request permission to advertise and bid the summer projects during the regular Dec. 21 meeting.

The list of tentative projects includes repaving the access road to Panorama Village from Villa Crest Drive and tennis court resurfacing.

Originally, the routine summer projects budget of $2 million had been reduced by $351,400 to fund the masonry restoration and gymnasium air conditioning at the high school, which the board approved as alternates in conjunction with the State High project during the meeting held on Nov. 30.

Because those costs can be deferred to a later date, the board asked to see a list of more projects that could be completed during 2016-17 for the $351,400.

Later in the evening, Randy Brown, the SCASD business administrator, and Donna Watson, assistant business administrator, reviewed information regarding the proposed preliminary budget for 2016-2017.

Under the current development timeline, the proposed preliminary budget would be brought for board approval during the Dec. 21 meeting and the final preliminary budget itself would be presented for a vote on Jan. 11.

The base Act 1 Index dictates the maximum real estate tax increase that is allowed for the district — which for 2016-17 amounts to 2.4 percent.

Pending board approval, the district is eligible to apply for exceptions for debt service on the high school referendum debt and for PSERS employer contribution expenses. The exceptions would allow them to increase the real estate tax beyond 2.4 percent.

Currently, the proposed preliminary budget includes a 4.07 percent tax increase, which consists of the 2.4 percent Act I Index and the 1.67 percent for referendum exceptions. The administration did not recommend taking exceptions for the PSERS expense.

The proposed final budget for 2016-17 is currently scheduled to be presented on April 25 and placed before the board for approval on May 9.

This story was originally published December 8, 2015 at 12:01 AM with the headline "SCASD board welcomes new members."