The SV 2011-12 Budget: 63% More Cutting than Taxing

Hello fellow Patch enthusiasts! Thank you for reading the first of what I anticipate to be many blog posts! I plan on sharing my PERSONAL thoughts on school board issues, local politics, community events, and maybe even the occasional rant about a state or federal issue.

Today’s topic: The SV 2011-12 Budget and Fiscal Responsibility.

Fiscal responsibility is more than no tax increases. It’s paying for the services we use and eliminating gimmicks that disguise actual costs. This year's budget is a positive step forward because:

• It’s a BALANCED BUDGET
• Spending was REDUCED by 2.7 MILLION from the 2010-11 budget

Fund balance, basically the district’s savings account, counted for $5,351,258 of revenues last year. This year, it counts for $924,580. That's LESS than the budget reserve (basically, emergency repair money not intended to be spent). That’s a difference of $4,426,678.

So, we stopped using our bank account to the tune of $4.4 million. We made it up like this:

• $1,707,610 – Total increase in revenue from 2010-11 budget
• $2,719,068 – Decrease in spending from 2010-11 budget

That’s 63 percent more cutting than taxing. THAT is RESPONSIBLE smaller government.

Eric Gordon is a Seneca Valley School Director representing Cranberry Twp – Region 5.  He has chosen to reach out to his constituents through this blog, in an effort to keep the community informed of school-related issues. The opinions expressed in this blog are his own, and are NOT the official positions of the Seneca Valley School Board. Official communications from the district can be found at www.svsd.net.