Kindergarten Classes to Remain Unchanged by Budget

Kindergarten class sizes at Saucon Valley Elementary School will not be affected by the 2011-2012 budget as a previous preliminary budget suggested.

At the May 10 Saucon Valley School Board meeting, Superintendent Dr. Sandra Fellin introduced a revised final budget that would allow the district to keep both a part-time technology specialist and a full-time kindergarten teacher position.

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At that meeting, board members disapproved of the reduction in kindergarten staff and suggested that cuts be made to another area of the budget.

To keep the kindergarten teacher at a full-time position, budget adjustments were made to three areas--an $18,732 reduction to the technology budget, a $15,000 reduction to the building level budgets and a $5,500 reduction to the facilities budget.

School board members unanimously voted in favor of this revamped budget, with school board members Sharon Stack and Sandra Miller absent.

Fellin explained that changes to the Bethlehem Area Vocational-Technical School and state budgets may mean some extra money for the district, but said she has not accounted for that money in the budget.

Board member Ralph Puerta emphasized that he believes any extra money the district would receive from changes in those budgets should be put into a reserve and not spent.

The budget still maintains a zero mill tax increase.

In other business, the school board tabled the issue of changes within student handbooks.

School board member Lanita Lum expressed concerns about bullying, parental notification for students who have received detention and students paying to park at the high school.

She requested that the wording in the textbooks be changed to indicate that anyone who sees bullying in the school should report it.

“It promotes the fact that the other students need to reach out,” she said.

Fellin agreed and said the text implied that all students should report bullying.

Lum also said that if a student receives detention, a parent should be notified in writing.

Saucon Valley Middle School assistant principal Thomas Halcisak mentioned sending parents an e-mail, to which Lum suggested the school request parents reply.

Lum also expressed dismay that students have to pay to park at Saucon Valley High School. She questioned the reasoning behind the requirement.

Board member Susan Baxter said she was the only current member on the school board when the district started charging students to park and that she did not vote for the rule.

Changes to the handbook, including those that most concerned board members, will be discussed and voted on at the next school board meeting, May 24.