School district to adjust budget

Federal dollars used by state have different targets WESTFALL — A $634,350 shortfall in basic school aid planned in the original state budget proposal prompted Delaware Valley officials this week to consider revising the budget 2009-10 budget they approved in June. The board of education on Thursday was scheduled to make budget transfers, as $1.595 million in federal funds, used by state legislators to make up some of the difference in DV funding, has restrictions and may only be used for certain types of programs. “They need to go in certain pots,” Business Administrator Bill Hessling explained. The net result, Hessling said, was that $678,000 was to be “redirected.” Some of the redirection would be to new curriculum covered by federal money. Some of that money required time-sensitive applications, said Superintendent Dr. Candis Finan. Not all the board members were familiar with the programs. Pam Lutfy noted curriculum approval is the board’s duty and insisted on viewing the new material before approving it. Noting the closing application deadline, Finan agreed. The lost revenue blow to the overall budget was softened by a $340,000 reduction in cost expenditures with the recent retirements of five senior teachers, and the hiring of only one junior replacement. Additional saving came as a planned $508,000 capital reserve fund transfer was not done. Hessling reported it was “covered” by an earlier, larger transfer from last year’s budget. In the end, Finance Committee Chair Ed Silvertone said some $246,000 in expected cuts and $478,000 in deferred spending would be voted on. “Some cuts may not need to be made,” he said. Finan said some of the cuts were new programs that the district didn’t begin, others were dated summer programs, now moot. Other equipment needs were computer-based. To make best use of them, the district badly needs to replace older switches, routers and hardware in the district’s 15 to 18-year-old computer “backbone.” The district’s $250,000 budgetary reserve/contingency fund is also available, but members were hesitant about tapping the reserve so early in the year. Silverstone, whose term ends this year, warned that the future still is “frightening.” “We’re getting by with a lot more federal dollars. They’re going to go away some next year - and after that, it all goes away,” he said.