ORWIGSBURG — Residents in the Blue Mountain School District should be able to hold onto more of their money.
“We will not have a tax increase,” for the 2016-17 school year, Superintendent David Helsel said by phone Thursday.
The current millage rate is 37.254 mills. One mill is equal to $1 of tax on every $1,000 of taxable value.
The board had its committee of the whole meeting at 7:15 p.m. Thursday at the district administration building and briefly discussed the upcoming budget.
District business manager Angie Green told the board the upcoming budget for the 2016-17 school year does not call for a tax increase, but did propose using funds from the reserve account — $741,409 — as of now to fill the hole.
The proposed final general fund budget has revenues at $40,024,168 and expenses at $40,765,577. The district would have an estimated unassigned fund balance June 30, 2017, of $4,566,872 remaining after using the amount needed to fill the gap. The district must have a budget adopted by June 30. Green said the district could realize some savings by saving some expenses on items such as conferences. The proposed budget will be on the agenda for consideration at the 7:15 p.m. May 19 regular board meeting at the middle school, Helsel said. The budget will then be able for review until final adoption in June.
In other news, the school board is considering having naloxone available in the case of an overdose in the district.
“If we can save a life in the district, we are going to save a life,” Helsel said.
Proposed policy number 823 spells out the guidelines for use of the life saving medication that blocks the effects of heroin and opiates on the brain. For example, the school nurse is responsible for the upkeep and administration of the drug. It also provides requirements on what steps to follow if there is a suspected drug overdose, where the naloxone is stored and other requirements such as notifying law enforcement when applicable.
“As a means of enhancing the health and safety of its students, staff and visitors, the district may obtain, maintain and administer doses of an opioid antagonist and other facilities, specifically naloxone for emergency use to assist a student, staff member or other individual believed or suspected to be experiencing an opioid overdose,” the proposed policy states.
Helsel said naloxone will be used in the secondary schools, “primarily high school,” he said.
The district must fill out paperwork and apply to the state Department of Health for the medication, which is provided by Adapt Pharma. The company will provide a free carton of the nasal spray to all Pennsylvania public schools, Gov. Tom Wolf announced earlier this year. Helsel said the district has to have a policy in place before it requests the drug.
Nurses in the district have received the required training for the administration of naloxone. Right now, there are not any plans for others to be trained but that may could change. The proposed policy states that employees must take a training course before they have custody or administer naloxone.
Helsel said the district will start stocking the naloxone for the next school year. Several nurses in the district attended the meeting Thursday and talked about the use of the administration of the drug. Elizabeth Abel, a nurse at the middle school, said the nurses just want to make sure a policy is in place that spells out the guidelines. Helsel said additional steps must be taken like having an emergency response plan.
The policy will be on the agenda for a vote at the next school board meeting.