Word has been circulating around the immediate area about the new budget cuts that have been approved by the Fleetwood School Board. The budget, which was approved in early May, will be the tentative budget for the Fleetwood Area School District starting in the 2012-2013 school year.
Unfortunately, the budget has had some drawbacks. One of these is that various programs are being cut throughout the district, due in part to a $847,000 dollar shortfall in the budget.
However, it might not be all that bad after all. Dr. Paul B. Eaken, district superintendent, told the Reading Eagle that all the original cuts might not be needed.
Various teaching positions are going to be kept throughout the district. These positions were originally going to be cut in the first proposal. A middle school music teacher and library aide will be brought back full time, while two other positions will be cut back from full-time to part-time.
Eaken went on to say that several other full-time positions were going to be pushed back to being part-time positions sometime in the near future.
This budget, which is $37.8 million dollars, would raise property taxes 0.607 mills. This is half of the amount that the district can legally raise this tax. The district is going to also use over one million dollars that it has in reserve funds.
During meetings earlier in the month, the teachers union submitted a proposal that would defer raised taxes for next school year. This proposal was rejected by the school board. The proposal also called for the teachers’ contracts to be extended by one year and for all demotions to be eliminated by the board.
This does not mean that everything is resolved just yet. This version of the budget has until the end of June to be approved by the school board.
The Tiger Times 
Posted on June 8, 2012 by thetigertimes1
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