Bellwood-Antis budget ups taxes

Homeowners to pay $80 more under preliminary spending plan

BELLWOOD -- The Bellwood-Antis School Board Tuesday approved a preliminary budget calling for the average homeowner to pay $80.21 more in taxes.

The $20,724,361 budget is based on the district receiving the same state funding and the district increasing taxes to the Act 1 Index of 5.7%, business manager Gregory Gates said.

Proposed revenue is expected to be $20,045,186, and the plan calls for $679,175 from the fund balance to balance the budget.

Gates noted that the district's budgeted expenses represent only a 0.96% overall increase from last year.

"We really worked hard with the administration to create a budget as accurately as we can with the information we have right now on funding," he said.

Gates has said some of the top budget pressures include charter school tuition, special education costs and adequate state funding.

He said this is still a preliminary budget. The school board will vote to approve the final budget during June's regular meeting.

He said there will be another presentation next month where he hopes to have firmer numbers to talk about.

In other business, the board accepted an agreement with the Child Advocates of Blair County Inc. Pre-K Counts program for the next school year, contingent upon the state awarding Pre-K Counts slots for the next five-year grant cycle.

Last week during a committee of the whole meeting elementary school Principal Matt Stinson presented the idea of adding the program. He said it has been around for quite some time and already is in Altoona, Claysburg, Roaring Spring and Williamsburg schools.

Pre-K Counts is funded by the state and provides preschool age children with a school setting.

Stinson said students in the program will learn math, science and English language arts at no cost to families because it is grant funded.

"We feel there is enough interest that we could house that in our school for Bellwood students," he said.

The program would rent empty classroom space, and he said there is one available near the school's front entrance where there is also a restroom.

Students in the program would be there from 8:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.

Bellwood-Antis will provide an area to eat, food and a playground area for which the district will be reimbursed by Pre-K Counts.

Stinson said it will benefit Bellwood students and families who cannot afford child care or other preschool programs.

"It is a great opportunity for us -- early childhood education is vital to what we do and to provide that service to children and families who might not have access to it," Superintendent Edward DiSabato said.

Mirror Staff Writer Cati Keith is at 814-946-7535.