Matt Schickling, the Wire
In its last meeting until August, the Bristol Township School Board made two major decisions mostly out of necessity.
The first was to pass a budget, which has to be done every year, but this meeting, held June 29, represented the last possible moments any issues could be ironed out before the state-sanctioned June 30 deadline. After over an hour of public discussion, the board elected to stick with the budget originally proposed about a week before in a 7–1 decision.
The only dissenting vote was made by board member Earl Bruck as a symbolic objection to state legislators.
“My no-vote is based on the irresponsible actions of our friends in Harrisburg,” he said, stating that school district budgets should be due 30 days after a state budget is passed. Pennsylvania legislators did not pass a budget by the June 30 deadline this year.
Others suggested last-minute possibilities for savings, like Michael Walsh, president of the Transport Workers Union Local 282 and maintenance worker for the district. He said workers could take on extra tasks to save the district money and help secure their jobs.
“Give us the opportunity to show you where we can save you money,” Walsh said. “We’re talking about 20- to 30-year employees. I’ve been here 32 years and I’m not the only one.”
Ultimately, there was not enough time to implement these ideas into the budget, but representatives from the school board agreed to meet with Walsh to discuss possibilities at a later date.
There was not enough time to change anything proactively. With 24 hours to go until the deadline, the board passed the budget as-is, which is expected to raise taxes about $85 per household per year.
Even after trimming the budget to about $133.4 million, there’s over a $4 million gap, which ballooned due to the unexpected delays in opening the two new elementary schools. James Buchanan and Ralph Waldo Emerson schools were originally scheduled to open at the beginning of next school year, but will not be ready until January.
To fill the remaining gap, the district plans to borrow about $3 million from its reserve fund. The board considered making even deeper cuts, like taking 10 percent from extracurriculars.
That move never made it into the final budget and it was decided that any budget issues with extracurricular programs could be resolved with independent fundraising and re-evaluating cost and need of certain items. However, no programs will be cut.
“Times are tough, I understand that. But if we don’t give these kids a chance, then what chance do they have?” board member Jim Baker said.
“I know it will hurt me and I know it will hurt a lot of my neighbors,” board member Helen Cini said, but emphasized the importance of keeping programs in place for students in the face of inadequate state funding.
If Gov. Tom Wolf’s proposed budget passes in the state legislature, more funding will be released to schools, allowing Bristol to close its budget gap by over $2 million, according to school officials.
“We have cut so many employees and so many things that we’re down to the bare bones,” board President Angela Nober said. “Hopefully, the governor’s budget will get passed.”
If that budget does pass, Nober said it could relieve residents of the tax increase and decrease the budget gap.
The school board also approved the resignation of Sam Lee as superintendent. Lee accepted the job as superintendent of Bensalem School District, where he lives, earlier in the month. His official last day with Bristol was June 30 and he will start with Bensalem in September.
“Thank you for a wonderful opportunity to serve a tremendous community,” Lee said. “It was five years I will never forget.”
Dr. Melanie Gehrens, supervisor of curriculum and instruction for the district, was named interim superintendent. She will earn a $1,200-per-month salary and maintain her current position in tandem with superintendent responsibilities. Gehrens said she plans on applying for the full-time superintendent position.
The recruiting process to find a new superintendent will begin July 10 and will be handled by the Bucks County Intermediate Unit, the same process used to hire Lee. That process is expected to continue through the summer as school is out of session.
The next meeting of the Bristol Township School District Board of School Directors will be held on Aug. 10. For information, visit www.btsd.us.
