Butler BOE Adopts 2011-2012 Budget

The presented and adopted its proposed 2011 - 2012 budget on Monday night in the library, led by Butler Superintendent Mario Cardinale and Board Secretary Debra Naley-Minenna. 

The total proposed budget for the 2011-2012 school year is $74,225 greater than the 2010-2011 budget, up from $19,757,105 to $19,831,330, a .0376 percent increase. The major areas of increase are in health insurance costs, up 15 percent, as well as a 10 percent increase in prescription plan costs and a 5 percent increase in dental plan costs.

The proposed school tax rate is .017915, increasing the tax on an average home assessed at $252,702 from $4,320, this year’s figure, to $4,527, an increase of $207.

“We’re at a crossroads,” said Cardinale Monday. “We’re about to do some really good things as a district.”

He referred specifically to technology upgrades for the school, which include a fiber-optic Internet upgrade and new software to improve PSAT and SAT scores. Cardinale also discussed continued teacher training during the next school year.

“It doesn’t happen without a budget getting passed,” said Cardinale.

Naley-Minenna discussed revenues during the meeting, citing differences between the total budget and the total revenues that the district had to work to overcome.

“In a perfect world, revenues and expenditures need to match,” said Naley-Minenna.

Most of the district’s revenues come from the local tax levy, which, capped at 2 percent, represents an increase of $267,699 under the proposed budget this upcoming school year, an increase from $13,384,947 in the 2010-2011 budget to $13,652,646 in the proposed 2011-2012 budget.

After the budget presentation, the board gave the public an opportunity to speak, but despite the meeting being well-attended, no members of the public chose to do so.

Cardinale also discussed what might happen if the budget is voted down. In such a circumstance, the budget will go before the borough council, as it was after being voted down last year, he said. Some of the potential programs and services that could be adjusted include cutting positions, increasing shared services, outsourcing administrators or cutting some sports, including varsity golf, bowling, and fencing.

At the end of the hearing, the board unanimously adopted the budget. Borough taxpayers can vote to approve or not approve the budget on April 27 between 2 p.m. and 9 p.m. at the firehouse.