Schools get $1.5 million more

May 26, 2006

By DARRELL L. BREESE

Frontiersman

PALMER - Mat-Su Borough Assembly members began the painstaking process of making adjustments to the manager's proposed fiscal year 2007 budget Tuesday during a special meeting in assembly chambers.

The assembly wasted little time focusing on issues having to deal with schools, adding $1.5 million to the school district's budget, which increased total school funding to $39,580,405.

&#8220I'm happy the assembly saw fit to increase our budget,” school board member Rob Wells said after the meeting. &#8220Even with the additional funds, we'll still have a budget deficit to deal with and likely will have to make additional cuts when we finalize our budget in early June.”

The increase in the school's funding wasn't among the 34 amendments initially prepared for consideration during the meeting. Assembly member Talis Colberg, who has a reputation as a fiscal conservative, moved to add $1 million to the budget. Assembly member Bill Allen wanted to double that, but failed to garner the needed support.

Lynne Woods, assembly member from Sutton, suggested a compromise, with a new contribution to the schools budget of $1.5 million. That was approved 5-2 with assembly members Jim Colver and Betty Vehrs opposing.

The extra money was in the borough's coffers thanks to $5.7 million in state energy relief revenue funds.

Colver's opposition was based on a resolution passed by the assembly in February which committed such funds to property-tax relief.

&#8220Taking money out of the revenue funds is contrary to what we committed to when we passed a resolution to dedicate those funds for property-tax relief,” Colver said. &#8220To not give tax relief because of the gloom and doom message from the school district is not going to fly with the voters. People are expecting relief on their tax bill, and I'm going to keep working to that end.”

The energy relief funds helped reduce the mil rate from 10.242 to 9.407. Adding the funds to the school district will increase the rate to 9.622.

Allen indicated that he, too, was keeping his eye on the mil rate.

&#8220I'm mindful that people are interested in lowering their tax bill,” Allen said. &#8220But some other members of this body are not looking at the big picture and are lowering the mil rate to a point where it will have a negative effect on our budget next year, and they won't be here to deal with it.”

Allen didn't name names. However, Mayor Tim Anderson and Colver, who have championed tax relief, both face term limits and won't be able to run for re-election.

Wells, who wasn't certain how the school board would spend the extra money, presented a list of items that would be considered during the board's June 7 meeting.

He offered a list of the top five priorities, which would cost $1.6 million. On the list is restoration of co-curricular stipends for elementary and middle schools, curriculum department chairs in area high schools, and eight full-time teaching positions.

&#8220We'll look at what will best help us achieve our goal of educating the kids of the borough,” Wells said. &#8220The special-education aides and ramifications of a recent audit will also weigh into the process of evaluating where to spend the new funds, but it is still short of the $2 million of additional funding we requested.”

Following approval of the additional funds, assembly member Mary Kvalheim proposed establishing a $3 million reserve from the total education budget. To use the proposed reserve, the school district would need assembly approval.

Borough attorney Nick Spiropoulos told the body it had the authority to approve the school's budget, but it was not in the assembly's power to designate how it spends those funds.

Woods also voiced some concern over the proposal.

&#8220This motion is beyond my role as an assembly member,” Woods said. &#8220I understand the desire for accountability from the school board, but I can't demand it from my seat on the assembly. I can demand accountability from the board in the voting booth.”

Kvalheim agreed and was among the six of seven assembly members who voted against the proposal, Colver was the lone member supporting the idea.

While the additional funds were added to the borough's budget Tuesday, the overall budget still needs final approval by the assembly. A special meeting to consider additional amendments and to vote on the final budget was Thursday.

Contact Darrell L. Breese at 352-2267 or at darrell.breese@ frontiersman.com.