Corbett’s Proposed Cuts Could Have a $5.5 Million Impact on Southern Lehigh School District

Editor's Note: A comprehensive list of cuts to be discussed, what won't be discussed, and the vote on each measure can also be found in a

Dozens of residents turned out on a sunny Saturday morning to listen to the Southern Lehigh School Board discuss the 2011-2012 budget. The meeting, which replaced the scheduled March 14 school board meeting, was moved to Saturday morning to ensure additional time for the budget seminar.

“There have been meetings in the past that have gone till midnight,” said board member Dr. Thomas McLaughlin.

Board president Mike Eddinger directed the audience that this was primarily a “working meeting” for the board, and would focus on board commentary. “If we allow everyone to speak on every cut, we’ll never get out of here. You have the next five or so [school board] meetings to attend and comment.”

A few comments came from the audience at the beginning of the meeting, including a concern over closing Lower Milford Elementary, a proposed cut the board reminded the audience was just a proposal. “We asked the budget and finance committee and the administration to really think outside the box,” said Eddinger.

Gov. Tom Corbett’s budget proposal and its impact on the district kicked off the meeting. “[Gov.] Corbett unveiled a budget proposal that would affect the district more severely than [the school board] originally planned for,” said James Snell, director of business and personnel services. 

The overall effect of the budget cuts for the 2011-2012 school year would be a loss of $1.5 million in state revenue. The total net effect to the district would be $5.5 million over the next five years. “We anticipated a loss of about $400,000  already,” said Snell. “Obviously, we will have to make adjustments.”

Though the impact of the proposed additional cuts may be large, board members pointed to the General Fund Balance (a cash reserve to help buoy the school district that is budgeted to have $14 million by year's end) as a way to soften the blow. “We’ve been prudent enough to save [money in a General Fund Balance], but as you see that balance keeps us from experiencing the heartache you hear of other districts experiencing,” said board member and head of budget and finance Jeff Dimmig.

As Dimmig pointed out the numbers on a projected budget, Eddinger pointed to the line that showed where the district would draw from that fund to balance future year’s budgets. “It’s like when you have a baby,” said Eddinger. “You know you have to save for that kid to go to college someday. You don’t use your excess money to buy a boat.”

The fund has been a hot button issue with student groups that have made requests at previous board meetings for help funding their programs. Board members pointed out that the fund would be more important than ever. “We can’t entertain every little request,” said Eddinger.

The board looked at multiple scenarios for the next five years, primarily looking at the tax rate. “We have to look at the extremes by running the numbers for a zero as well as a maximum tax increase,” said board member Dr. Elizabeth Stelts. On the low end (a zero millage tax increase), the schools need to make over $6 million in cuts. With the board-imposed maximum millage increase (for the 2011-2012 school year it would be .63 mills, or approximately $58 per household annually), the district would have to make cuts totaling $3.3 million.

There were moments of levity during the morning. When asked what teachers working late would do when the building temperature automatically dropped, Eddinger replied, “Buy them coats?” When asked about raising fees for outside groups to use school facilities, board members expressed their support for Superintendent Joe Liberati to “go into the wedding planning business as a second job.”

After three and a half hours, the board walked away with a list of possible cuts to discuss at upcoming meetings. Upper Saucon Patch has them listed . Overall, the board was pleased with the progress made at the meeting. “I think the board's done a laudable amount of work and beginning the work of cutting,” said McLaughlin.