The Council approved the preliminary budget for the 2022-23 academic year News
Members of the River Valley School Board voted 5-3 for a preliminary approval of the budget for the 2022-23 school year of $ 35,991,770 during a regular vote Monday.
Salzburg school board members Melanie Pantalone, Beverly Carones and Jessica Clawson were the only members to vote against the proposed budget. Pantalone said she voted against the budget because she does not believe that a zero budget with revenues equal to costs is realistic and she wants a more detailed discussion of general articles and costs.
School board members also approved the Indiana County Technology Center budget for 2022-23. River Valley’s share of the budget will be $ 591,770, up $ 5,683 from last year.
The council approved the purchase of yearbooks for each student of the district for $ 28,300 from the district sports and sports fund. For the first time, the foundation will focus on purchasing yearbooks for all students.
In other news Monday, the council approved:
• training programs for 2022-23
• Agreement with the IUP on graduate assistants who can service any building throughout the district, K-12
• Offer a Chromebook buyout program for seniors
• Purchase of laboratory furniture for e-sports
• Purchase NWEA estimates
• Acquisition of Beable World of Work
• Staffing plan for 2022-23
• Hire a full-time custodian
• Summer programming positions
• Summer IT, custodian and maintenance positions
Board members from Salzburg, Pantalone, Corones and Clauson, voted against the purchase of ESPORTS laboratory furniture, as well as the staffing plan for 2022-23, which included new positions for training, consulting and more, such as paraprofessional positions.
“When I looked at the staffing plan, I just thought there were things we didn’t need positions for,” Caranese said.
Caranez explained that she did not want to vote against the entire staffing plan, but she had no choice because voting required all or none of the positions to be approved.
In one of the few unanimous votes of the evening, board members approved an increase in the graduation rate from 23.5 points to 25 points.
In other cases, Salzburg’s principals voted against four of the six items submitted for approval, including the purchase of gymnastics grounds, proposals for electrical work for K-K classrooms, proposals for plumbing work in K-K classes and a proposal for laying floors. for the ESPORTS lab – they were all approved 5-3 along geographic lines.
In other news Monday, board members praised six students for their accomplishments at this year’s PMEA festival for the district band, district jazz band, district choir, regional band and regional choir.
https://www.indianagazette.com/news/board-approves-preliminary-budget-for-2022-23-school-year/article_0e6e116d-13e5-5e51-b770-96e7936d8b52.html
