The State College Area School Board has given school district administrators the go-ahead to fill two open positions in the district.
On Monday, the board voted to fill an instructional technology coach position that’s been left open by a recent retirement, according to a school district news release.
The State College Area School District will also soon have a brand new substitute coordinator position. This person will work closely with school principals and area substitute teachers to keep track of the district’s needs and bring subs in as needed.
The vote to fill the substitute coordinator position comes on the heels of another recent decision from the school board. In a meeting earlier this month, the school board trashed a contract with an outside substitute-teaching firm as a cost savings measure, which created the need for a new substitute coordinator position.
The school board also continued to pour over the final proposal for the district’s 2015-2016 budget, with a final vote scheduled for June 8. The budget plans for over $136 million in revenue and over $137 million in expenses, which is largely due to the increasing cost of pensions and other benefits.
The budget includes a 5.49 percent tax increase, most of which will fund the voter-approved high school renovation project. As part of that increase, the millage rate will increase from 39.50 percent to 41.67 percent.
This translates to an extra $155 per year for the average homeowner, of which $101 will go toward the high school project.
However, district leaders are still waiting on some important numbers to come through. Governor Tom Wolf’s budget, if passed by the legislature, could send as much as $625,000 to the school district.
“We have not reflected that in our budget presentation because of the uncertainty of those dollars at this time,” said school district business administrator Randy Brown.
The district has submitted a formal application for funding to the state government, which should come back by June 1.
The district will also hold a public hearing on the proposed budget at 7:00 p.m. on June 1 at the school district administrative offices at 131 West Nittany Avenue.
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