Credit: Tom Sofield/LevittownNow.com
Despite eliminating 143 staff positions since 2012, the Bristol Township School District still is not yet in perfect financial health.
District business manager John Steffy said the proposed 2015-2016 budget is “so unbelievably complicated,” but he said it showed the district in a “better position this year than we have been the past four, five, six years.”
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According to a budget meeting held Tuesday evening, the district still has a gap of $4.7 million between the projected $129.6 million in revenues and $134.4 million in expenditures. Steffy noted that if Gov. Tom Wolf’s full proposed budget is approved, the district would actually have a budget surplus of $345,000. A tax increase that would reach the Act 1 limit would bring in an additional $1.8 million, which is equal to $85 for the average property owner.
Steffy said a reduction in healthcare costs, retirements, position restructuring will save the district more than $1 million dollars in the upcoming fiscal year. He then pointed out that there will be an increase in support staff, charter school fees and additional debt service.
The proposed budget, which was approved by the school board later in the evening, includes no salary increases, roughly $800,000 in debt service and state pension fund obligations.
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“We’ve cut just about anything you can cut,” Steffy said, adding there are only four positions that could be cut this year.
The business manager directed the board to continue to look at the budget.
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Going forward, the opening of three new elementary schools and the closure of the current nine are expected to provide savings for the district.
“There will be major savings when the nine buildings go in to three,” Steffy said.
Steffy and Superintendent Dr. Sam Lee both have said increased state aid would help the district balance the budget. The state legislature has until June 30, the same day as the district, to pass a balanced budget.
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Both state aid and PlanCon funding was not including the proposed budget.
Compared to previous years, the budget gap is small. Several years back, the district had a gap that was about $14 million.
