COAL TOWNSHIP - A $29.9 million budget and small tax increase was approved for the Shamokin Area School District, and a former employee asked them to reconsider how some of the money is spent.
The 2013-2014 general fund budget for the district, $29,956,150, was approved by a unanimous vote; directors Ron McElwee, Jeff Kashner, Charles Shuey, Treina Mariano, Brian Persing, Robert Getchey, Tracey Witmer, Edward Griffiths and Bernie Sosnoskie voted for it.
A deficit of nearly $1.8 million will be erased by using funds from the district's reserve account.
The budget includes the expected property tax increase of 0.6869 mills, which is an additional 69 cents on each $1,000 of a property's assessed value, and raises the tax rate of 27.10 mills. The increase is the maximum allowed under state law without seeking voter referendum.
Taxes are levied against a property's fully assessed value. Each mill equals $1 for every $1,000 of the assessment. For a home assessed at $30,000, the tax bill under the new levy would be $813.19.
One mill of property tax generates about $65,000 based on the district's 84-percent collection rate.
Library
During public comment, former library teacher Annamae Kanuchok took exception to the "Run for the Playground" fundraiser, during which $4,000 was raised to purchase playground equipment for the elementary and annex schools. Elementary students helped to raise the money by collecting pledges for each lap they ran around the gym in 15 minutes.
"The money was raised on the back of the youngest, poorest and the most vulnerable of our students," Kanuchok said, who discussed the deplorable conditions at the elementary annex library, where she taught before being furloughed.
"The annex library is an embarrassment," she told the board. "There are so many books there being held together by book tape, and I only had a budget to purchase 53 new books for 1,200 students."
Kanuchok said students miss out on the enrichment of separate art, music and other classes.
"These students love music, but won't have a chance to explore that, because you took it from them," she said.
Board member Tracey Witmer was sympathetic to Kanuchok's words and spoke about the library at several points in the meeting. Witmer said she noticed while paying bills a number of tuition reimbursements for teachers and Act 93 reimbursements for administrators. In the case of the teachers, the amount paid was more than $1.000.
"Maybe some of those reimbursements can be donated back for the annex library," Witmer said. She made the same point when voting no, the lone dissenting vote, to hire fall sports coaches.
Other business
The following coaches, and their salaries, for fall sports were hired and approved by an 8-1 vote:
Football - Head coach Yaacov Yisrael, $3,485; assistants Randy Kehler, $2,468, Kurt Troxell and Ted Pietkiewicz, $1,530.
Junior high football - Head coach Ed Bailey, $2,331; assistant Dave Troxell, $1,020.
Boys soccer - Head coach Brandon Hockenbroch, $2,380.
Girls soccer - Head coach Matt Witmer, assistant Tony Rompolski, and volunteers Kelsey Goodman and Veronica Witmer, no salaries.
Cross country - Head coach Tammy Nazih, $2,380; assistant-Junior High coach Angela Golfieri, $1,105; volunteers Robert Cowder and Joelle Reed, no salaries.
Junior high girls basketball - Eighth grade head coach Ed Getchey, $1,275; Seventh grade head coach Eric Heim, $1,020.
Volleyball - Head coach Wanda Cook, $3,273; assistant Steve Cook, $2,331; volunteer Andrew Arnold, no salary.
All salaries were given a 15 percent reduction from the previous year.
The board also accepted the resignations of assistant boys basketball coach Anthony Carnuccio and head softball coach Christi Cryder.