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Increasing cost of transportation, debts owed from building remodeling projects and costs to support state charter and cyber schools topped the list of budget increases. Since the original proposed budget was drafted earlier in the year, Melone explained he was mainly able to reduce the increase by swapping some estimations of salary and overtime increases with lower, exact numbers. Some preliminary estimations, including changes in cyber school costs, special needs and learning support, had to be increased in the revised budget.
“A budget is not in stone … and the truth of the matter is that it’s constantly changing,” Melone said.
Board member Robert Linskey presented the board with a nine-page, bulleted list of 94 items he felt were misrepresented in the budget. The cost of many items, including postage, copier machines and maintenance expenses, were over budgeted, he said. Linskey defined over budgeted as meaning the “budgeted amount exceeds what has been spent (plus inflation) over each of the last four school years.”
Linskey’s suggested cuts would trim around $300,000 from the budget, according to Linskey’s report.
“All I tried to do, for the most part, was cut the fat out of the budget,” Linskey said.
“We debated everything he said. It had no merit,” Board President Joseph Oliveri said.
Melone said if some items were overestimated, the extra money would go into a reserve. Several factors could necessitate some extra funds, he said, including a potential statewide education subsidy cut of $100,000,000 and repairs to the middle school baseball field. Some savings, including ones from the district pulling out of the Northeast Pennsylvania School Districts Health Trust last year, might not be realized until next January, Melone added. He also noted that the State Department of Education had originally calculated Pittston Area’s budget increase to average around 15.5 mills.
“The point is, they (the state) are telling us, ‘We’re cool with you guys going 15.5 mills,’” Melone said. “They don’t consider that reckless.”
Prior to the meeting, board member John Adonizio made a public apology for what he called a “painful and hard lesson” — he pleaded guilty on June 2 to charges of driving under the influence and resisting arrest last December. Adonizio was sentenced to a minimum of 30 days of home confinement and six months probation.
“No punishment or penalty can come close to the emotional pain I’ve caused my family, especially my two girls,” he said.
The school board will vote on a final budget during a regular meeting next Monday, June 30, in the high school library.
rgrochowski@citizensvoice.com, 570-821-2100
