The budget cuts approved Monday mean the average tax increase will now be about $195, rather than the originally envisioned $219.
By: Donna Lukiw
The Board of Education is taking more money from its benefits and insurance account to reduce the impact on students of the $85,000 school budget cut approved by the Borough Council on May 15.
Initially, when the Borough Council cut $85,000, the proposed budget cut included $38,000 taken from benefits and insurance.
But after further reviewing the budget, Superintendent Donald Burkhardt recommended and the board approved Tuesday to cut a total of $63,000 in the benefits and insurance account.
"It does not directly affect students," Dr. Burkhardt after the board approved the change. "And we feel we should be able to make it with that cut."
With the budget cuts, $11,330,109 will need to be raised by the local property tax. The original school budget that voters defeated April 19 would have resulted in an increase in the school tax of $219 for the owner of a property assessed at the borough average.
The budget cuts approved Monday mean the increase will now only be about $195.
The school tax rate will be about 97.8 cents per $100 assessed value, based on the new property valuations.
The total 2006-2007 budget was introduced at $15.3 million, and is also reduced by $85,000.
By cutting more out of the benefits and insurance account, the district was able to save the money that would have directly affected the students.
The original list of suggested cuts 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).
Those expenditures will remain in the budget.Besides cutting benefits and insurance, the borough council and the school district also agreed on cutting $17,000 for building repair at all four schools and custodial overtime totaling $5,000.
"We have a maintenance account," Dr. Burkhardt said Tuesday. "It’s just that much less."
Manville voters turned down the school budget in April, defeating the proposed $15.3 million tally by a vote of 477-411.

