Council Rock Schedules Public Budget Forum

Council Rock School District has scheduled a public forum to give the community an opportunity to learn about the 2011-2012 budget. The forum is scheduled for Wednesday, April 13 at 7:00 p.m. at the Chancellor Center. 

In a district-wide e-mail sent Monday, Council Rock Superintendent Mark Klein said the school is currently facing in excess of a $10 million deficit for fiscal year 2011-2012. “Over the next month, Council Rock will begin to share with the public our plan to address this deficit,” Klein said in the e-mail.

The public forum next month will be an opportunity for the community to see the proposed budget and learn about the changes sought to address the deficit.

Governor Tom Corbett last week unveiled his $27.3 billion spending plan, which reduces state funding for Council Rock by more than $3.5 million. The district has also experienced a decline in real estate revenue due to assessment appeals, Klein said.

“Combining these revenue declines with fixed expenditure increases in salary, benefits, and other contractual obligations, Council Rock faces in excess of a $10 million deficit for fiscal year 2011-2012,” Klein said in the e-mail.

Last month, the Council Rock School Board voted keep next year’s budget within Act 1 requirements. Under Act 1, the district must limit the budget increase to 1.4 percent of the previous year unless an exception is sought.

That means the budget will be need to be somewhere between $196 million and $198 million, according to Reinhart. A $196 million budget represents no increase. The maximum increase of 1.4 percent would put the budget at about $198 million.

There will be a detailed discussion on the impact of the state’s cuts in school funding at Thursday’s School Board meeting, which starts at 7:30 at the Chancellor Center.

Additionally, the district will post budget updates and information on its Web site, www.crsd.org.

The district is still in the early stages of the budget process. The board will consider a preliminary budget in April.  A final budget will be approved in June.