By MARISSA DECHANT
Staff writer
Franklin Area School board members dug into budget concerns at their Monday meeting.
After a controversial 5-4 vote in June to raise taxes in lieu of going into a further deficit of $330,000, board members have been keeping a close eye on spending throughout the district.
Board member Misty Nalepa discussed requiring each school to provide its annual budget in addition to explanations for any purchases outside of routine transactions. All departments and programs would be subject to scrutiny, according to Nalepa.
Board members agreed to begin the process when looking at the 2018-19 school year starting in October.
Board President Brian Spaid raised a standing budget issue within the high school football team’s game schedule.
Spaid said that he is “upset and disheartened” that despite budget problems, the football team scheduled an away game in Batavia, New York, this year.
“That’s a little ludicrous due to our current budgeting issues,” Spaid said.
The board president discussed disallowing bus trips outside of a certain mileage radius.
“We need to take a serious look at what we’re doing. We need to implement a rule and policy to deal with it,” Spaid said.
Spaid also brought up potential town-hall meeting dates to discuss the budget deficit.
The districtwide meeting is slated for sometime in late October in the high school auditorium.
Franklin Area School board will next meet at 7 p.m. Monday in the multipurpose room of the administration building.
