NEW BETHLEHEM, Pa. by: John Gerow (RVO) – The Redbank Valley School Board held a special meeting this evening, January 29, to approve a preliminary budget for Fiscal Year 2019 – 2020. The motion to approve was passed by acclamation, with Dr. Shaffer, Dee Bell, and Carrie Adams not in attendance. Voting to approve this preliminary budget allows the Redbank Valley School Board to apply to the Pennsylvania Department of Education for referendum exemptions. This would allow the School Board to raise taxes by more than the index of 2.3%. The Department of Education will rule on the exemption request before mid – March.

This preliminary budget is based upon the 5 – year budget projections produced last year by the Finance Committee. With this foundation, the Preliminary Budget projects $17,715,015.66 in revenue and $18,539,680.49 in revenues, leaving the District with an $824, 664.83 projected deficit. According to Superintendent Dr. Mastillo, this preliminary budget will be posted on the District’s website within a few days.

Vice President of the Board, Bill Reddinger, who chaired the meeting in Dr. Shaffer’s absence, said that he wanted the public to know that “this budget is not smoke and mirrors, but is as real as we could make it at this point.”

Director Jason Barnett said that this preliminary is primarily to ask the Education Department for the referendum exemptions. The preliminary budget will be brought forward in May and finalized in mid-June. Mr. Bain added that while this is preliminary, but there is optimism among the Directors, and among the Finance Committee members that the final proposed budget will have a much smaller deficit than the current projection of $824,000.

Dr. Mastillo added that Departments will begin submitting expense requests in the normal budgeting process shortly. He said, “These numbers are not set in stone” and the final product should be quite a bit different as hard numbers come into play.

The Superintendent asked RedbankValley.org to remind our readers that there will be a Strategic Planning Presentation on February 5 at 6:30 PM in the high school auditorium. The first “Coffee and Conversation with the Superintendent” will be on February 19 at the Community Center on Broad Street. There will be 2 sessions: a morning session at 6:30 in the morning and an evening session at 6:30 PM.

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ABOUT:
Redbank Valley School District provides education services for the 165 square mile area of New Bethlehem and Hawthorn boroughs, and the townships of Mahoning, Madison, Porter, and Redbank of both Clarion and Armstrong counties.

MEETINGS:
The Redbank Valley School Board meetings the first Monday of every month at 7pm at the High School Library.

CONTACT:
For more information about the Redbank Valley School District, please call 814.275.2426 or visit RedbankValley.org/pg/biz/redbank-valley-school-district