HASD won’t top Act 1 limit

Bilekto serve as board president, Costanza chosen as vice president

HOLLIDAYSBURG -- The newly reorganized Hollidaysburg Area School Board voted Wednesday night to not exceed the Act 1 index when exploring tax options for the 2024-25 school year.

The unanimous vote included members Ying Li, John Wells, Missy Sullivan and Michele Luther, who all won the general election in November. Kenneth Snyder retained his seat on the board in the election, as well.

In a finance meeting preceding the voting meeting, board secretary Autumn Fiscus and treasurer Stacey Thomas walked the board through the final numbers from the 2022-23 budget. The district actually ended the school year with a surplus of over $1.6 million despite a projected deficit of almost $3.2 million. Fiscus said that was because the district had only budgeted its estimated Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief funds distributed from the American Rescue Plan without accounting for its revenue.

The Act 1 index for Hollidaysburg is 6.4%, or 0.6418 mills. In the financial outlook for the 2024-25 school year, Fiscus and Thomas said the total potential revenue increase at the Act 1 maximum would be just shy of $1.6 million.

By voting to not exceed the index, the board gave the financial office more time to construct a preliminary budget based on various tax options. The Jan. 4 deadline for a preliminary budget to be available for public viewing no longer applies to Hollidaysburg. Newly elected board President Carmen Bilek said that was one of the board's primary intentions when it voted on the Act 1 index, along with giving the board members a limit in their discussions.

"It does put a ceiling cap on tax increases," Bilek said. "It doesn't mean there's going to be a tax increase."

The board will continue to explore possibilities for the budget into the new year. The deadline to adopt a final budget is June 30, 2024.

In other business, Bilek was elected president in a unanimous vote, replacing Ronald Sommer after his one-year term. Jennifer Costanza was elected vice president, also unanimously.

During the public comment section, former board candidate Cory Hartman congratulated the new board members, while also seemingly critiquing the platforms on which they ran. He said the GOP candidates ran "for education, not indoctrination" and to prevent children in the district from "being sexualized by books they read in school," among other goals. Hartman said "virtually everything" they ran for is already done.

"You've managed to achieve almost everything you set out to do before you've even been sworn in," Hartman said. "So now I'm wondering what you're going to do with the rest of your term."

Hartman said the Republicans are now the majority, so those board members can no longer vote against the budget and then vote against the cuts or tax increases to meet the budget without "getting (their) hands dirty."

"Now you have to pass something with your name on it," Hartman said.

Hartman closed by saying he truly hopes for the new board to succeed, because its success means the success of the Hollidaysburg community and its children.

"My children lie in your hands," Hartman said. "I truly do wish all of you the best."

Hollidaysburg resident and former candidate for Blair County commissioner Scott Barger said he was offering his sincere congratulations -- no "veiled chastisements" -- to the board members, wishing them the best of luck and thanking them for their willingness to step into their roles.

"The problems that we are facing are not fabricated," Barger said. "I think with some hard work, some truth telling, some integrity that you can begin to restore that faith that we ought to have in institutions of education that are doing the important and hard work of training up our kids."

Before the conclusion of the meeting, Snyder thanked both men for sharing their thoughts and for helping launch the board into its new session.

Mirror Staff Writer Nate Powles is at 814-946-7466.