Funds for benefits, some repairs to be reduced
By:Donna Lukiw
The Borough Council cut $85,000 from the defeated 2006-2007 school budget at a special meeting, Monday.
Manville voters turned down the school budget in April, defeating the proposed $15.3 million tally by a vote of 477-411.
With the budget cuts, $11,330,109 will now have to be raised by the local property tax, reducing the annual impact of the school spending from an estimated $219 for the owner of a property assessed at the borough average to $195.
The council vote was unanimous, with Councilman Ted Petrock absent.
According to Borough Administrator Gary Garwake, no one from the public attending the meeting.
The Board of Education picked up the budget cuts at Tuesday’s meeting, similarly unanimously voting to accept the cuts.
The figure was arrived at during a joint meeting May 3 between members of the Borough Council and the Board of Education.
"Both sides worked hard and came to a resolution about the budget," Superintendent Donald Burkhardt said Tuesday night.
The board identified some items in the budget that will be cut, including $38,000 in benefits and insurance, building repair projects at all four schools totaling $17,000 and custodial overtime for $5,000.
"We feel like we have enough money in our account to cut," Dr. Burkhardt said about cutting $38,000 in benefits and insurance.
Dr. Burkhardt said the cut will not affect any teachers.
School officials said they will be reviewing plans to make certain none of the cuts directly affect students.
"We will keep the $85,000 but will make cuts in different accounts," Board President Lou Petzinger said Tuesday, regarding a list of proposed budget items to cut. Among the proposed items were expenditures for textbooks totaling $8,000.
Dr. Burkhardt said the original list of suggested cuts also included Alexander Batcho Intermediate School computer instruction ($2,000), instructional expense at Manville High School ($3,000), teaching supplies at Weston and Roosevelt Elementary School ($3,000), high school computers ($2,000), general supplies for the band ($1,000) and athletic supplies ($3,000).
Since these items directly affect students, Dr. Burkhardt said he will be looking at the cuts more closely to see if money could be taken out of different accounts but he said the $85,000 will not change.
"We will look at all of them and make sure it doesn’t affect any students," Dr. Burkhardt said Tuesday.

