School makes dent in unspent energy funds

PALMER — The Mat-Su Borough School Board took action Wednesday in deciding how to spend part of the remainder of a nearly $2.3 million energy supplement allocation from the state Legislature — deleting most of a list of administration-recommended items.

Board Member Colleen Hamblen’s amendment to pare the list down to three items — furniture, fixtures and equipment to outfit new portables, and a contract to put Internet filters on school computers — passed with board member Cheryl Turner in opposition.

The district has already spent about $1.52 million of the state allotment, which must be spent by June 30 or up to half of the remaining money could go to the Mat-Su Borough. Although members of the Borough assembly have said any remaining funds would be placed in a school site acquisition account, some on the school board have said they would prefer the money be held over to the next fiscal year. Without a commitment from the Borough to allow the district to keep the remaining energy allocation, the board is moving to spend the remaining $780,000 by the June 30 deadline.

Wednesday’s action, which followed a Tuesday meeting between school officials and the Borough assembly, would spend a little more than $165,000. The board also voted Wednesday to postpone approving spending of the remaining $615,000 until June 18. That motion passed with Turner and Board Member Pat Purcell in opposition.

The district will now wait to see what the Mat-Su Borough Assembly does with an ordinance penned by Assemblyman Rob Wells. That ordinance would waive the rule requiring the school district to turn over half its leftover money from the energy supplement if it’s not spent by June 30.

The issue has been a raw nerve between the district and assembly in recent weeks.

All it took was mentioning the school district’s energy supplement allocation for an air of tension to settle over the Borough’s assembly meeting Tuesday. District Superintendent George Troxel and School Board President Sarah Welton handled a barrage of questions from the assembly, most seeking an explanation for a lack of decision on the district’s part about how to spend the remainder of the allocation.

School district officials contend if the assembly allows the district to keep 100 percent of its remaining money, it can put the money to better use in fiscal year 2009.

Wells’ ordinance still has to pass, something Welton said she is not confident will happen. She said she has spoken to assembly members who have expressed reservations about the ordinance. What assembly members seem most interested in is why the district seemingly can’t come up with needs on which to spend its money in the next few weeks.

“It appears like the school district is awash in money,” Assemblywoman Cindy Bettine said.

Bettine added she can’t comprehend it being the beginning of June and the district does not know where the money is going.

That’s largely because the school board has postponed voting on how to spend the remaining money while it waits to see if the assembly will allow a one-time exception to the 50/50 split rule.

Many assembly members asked why the energy supplement isn’t being spent on energy. Welton said the money can be spent on anything, but conceded the assembly had a point.

“Yes, spending it on energy makes sense,” Welton said.

For some principals in the district, just having the money spent is what they hope for.

“I’m just anxious to see they take advantage of the money and spend it so it doesn’t just disappear,” Colony High School Principal Cydney Duffin said.

Duffin said she trusts Troxel’s and the administration’s judgment because they have a broad view of the district’s needs.

At Tuesday’s assembly meeting, some assembly members squirmed in their seats and laughed out loud while Welton and Troxel talked about the district’s direction with the energy supplement. At one point, Assemblyman Tom Kluberton expressed his frustration with the school district referring to whatever money rolls over to the Borough as “the Borough’s money.”

Kluberton said since any money rolled over from the district will go to the Borough’s school site selection fund, it will benefit the district either way.

On Thursday, Kluberton said he’d like the school district to state exactly what it wants and needs. “The ever present lack of clarity is just disturbing,” Kluberton said.

However, Kluberton’s assertion of a win-win situation with the school site selection fund was countered nearly two weeks ago by district spokeswoman Catherine Esary, who said money in the site selection fund cannot be used on immediate, tangible needs, like energy supplement money can.

Kluberton said he could get behind an ordinance providing for an 80/20 split with the school district.

The school board and assembly will come together in a joint meeting the begins at 6 p.m. June 10 at the Borough assembly chambers in Palmer.

Coming to an agreement on the issue, at least to some board members, will be a step in the right direction in regard to relations between the assembly and board.

Board Member Myrl Thompson calls it a chance to mend a fence with the Borough, while Colver, who said the joint assembly and board meeting is the place to discuss the energy supplement, said acting too quickly to spend the rest of the allocation would send a wrong signal to the assembly.

“If we don’t handle this carefully, we could have an all-out budget war with the Borough,” Colver said.

Contact Michael Rovito at michael.rovito@frontiersman.com or 352-2252.