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CLAYSBURG -- The Claysburg-Kimmel School Board unofficially settled on raising taxes to half of the Act 1 limit during a budget work session Wednesday evening.
The Act 1 limit for the district this year is 6%, which would have cost the average homeowner $46 more a year and generated about $184,000 in additional revenue. Instead, a majority of the board agreed to only raise taxes by 3%. Board member Mona Eckley was the sole member that wanted no tax increase.
"When you don't raise taxes, it's revenue that you lose out and you lose out for years to come -- you cannot make it up," board President Richard Gergely said in favor of an increase.
A 3% increase would cost on average $23 more per household and generate about $93,000 in additional revenue, according to district Business Manager Dena Burket.
"With inflation -- when you're looking at 7-8% in the last year -- if we go 6%, we're still going backwards," board treasurer Roger Knisely said.
The board also discussed how to use the district's remaining federal ESSER III funds. According to Burket, there is $532,000 in the budget for the 2023-24 school year and $509,000 for the 2024-25 school year from the COVID allocations. All of the money must be used by the 2024-25 school year.
About $60,000 of the $532,000 will be put aside to replace all iPads in the district, Technology Director Jerome Dodson and the board agreed.
Of the about $480,000 remaining, the board decided to set aside $280,000 as a type of rainy day fund while utilizing the other $200,000 in the budget.
"I will say from my standpoint as superintendent, we're looking at the ability to use this through the 24-25," Superintendent Mark Loucks said. "So, in other words, if we have a chance here to -- I don't want to say an insurance policy -- but have a way out if we do run into several roof issues or things of that nature."
In other matters, board member Joseph Musselman brought up giving the district administration "the task of creating a performing arts extracurricular position that could encompass some of these things that we've heard discussed a week ago that folks were concerned about."
"It's no secret, we need somebody to direct our marching band," Musselman said.
According to Gergely, music teacher Matthew Stombaugh resigned as marching band director in December.
Whoever is hired to take on the performing arts extracurricular position could potentially be responsible for marching band in the fall, concerts in the winter and the musical in the spring, Musselman said.
"We want to address those concerns and add to it the musicals and different things we need to really enhance our performing arts," Musselman said.
Mirror Staff Writer Rachel Foor is at 814-946-7458.