The Herald, Sharon, Pa.

Published Tuesday, June 6, 2000

FARRELL, WHEATLAND

Board debates budget cutting
* * *
4-mill hike remains in proposed plan
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TEACHERS TO VOTE ON HEALTH CARE PROVIDER CHANGE

By Joe Pinchot
Herald Staff Writer

Farrell school administrators have pared the $10.3 million tentative budget to $10.1 million, but a proposed 4-mill tax hike remains.

And while board President Edward Zappa thinks there is room for more savings, other board members feel the administration has done enough.

Superintendent Richard R. Rubano Jr. said the budget relies on only $173,000 from savings, down from $458,832 in the original spending plan. The change is significant because Rubano estimated that by June 20 the fund balance will stand at $541,000.

Business Administrator Ronald Pendel said it will be “almost impossible” to cut any more without affecting staff and programs.

“There is not a lot of fat at all,” he said. Director Lester Robinson Jr. said the schools are running the risk of being “big, old barns,” where students come to class but have little else to do.

“I’m done with this cutting stuff,” he said. “We have cut enough. I’m for a quality education.” Employee morale is “zero,” he added.

“Let’s stay where we are,” agreed Director Ronald Weston. But Zappa, who is against raising taxes, responded that the district wouldn’t benefit much from the tax hike because the actual amount of real estate tax revenue wouldn’t be any more than in past years.

“It’s going to be the same people (paying taxes) year after year,” he said. The teachers will have a say in the district’s cost-cutting effort when the union votes Wednesday whether to allow the district to change health insurance companies.

The district is with Northwest Combine, a consortium of schools, and is looking at a 35 percent cost increase next year, down from the 42 percent that was previously announced.

The district has been accepted into the Western Pennsylvania Hospitalization Consortium, a larger body of schools. Rubano didn’t have any savings estimates but said the savings would easily cover the $45,000 in membership fees the district would pay over three years.

WPHC offers a point-of-service program that would limit the number of doctors the teachers and their families could see, but would actually cost the teachers less in co-payments and give them better coverage, administrators said.

If the teachers agree, the district would need the approval of the eight or so members of the America Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees. Rubano said he didn’t think getting their approval would be a problem.

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