SAINT CLAIR — Full day kindergarten returns to the Saint Clair Area School District for the 2016-17 school year.
The board Wednesday voted unanimously, 9-0, to approve the kindergarten program from its current half-day status to a full day, effective Aug. 29, 2016.
“We’re happy to bring back full day kindergarten. It’s been sorely missed,” board President Michael Holobetz said.
In addition to Holobetz, directors approving the measure were Virginia Bartashus, Marlene Cook, Thomas Kaledas, Gerald Kuperavage, Robert Matlock, Kathleen Modica, Erin Murhon and Jeanette Zembas.
There were five people present during the meeting, including a few teachers and parents, but no one spoke up publicly to address the board.
“We curtailed the full day to half day two years ago when we had to make major curtailments to the budget,” Jason S. Bendle, Saint Clair Area Elementary/Middle School Superintendent/Principal, said Wednesday.
After hearing outcry from the community for two years, the school board is interested in rebuilding that program. There are 45 students in the program now and two teachers: Martina Kull, a full-time kindergarten teacher, and Jacqueline Begansky, a part-time kindergarten teacher.
To make the program full-day, the school would have to hire another full-time teacher.
“Realistically, bringing back one extra teacher would cost about $65,000, which would include salary and benefits,” Bendle said.
Bendle noted the board Wednesday only approved bringing the program back to full day, but did not take any action in regard to hiring staff.
“We didn’t approve bringing anyone back yet,” Bendle said. If the district wished, it could hire back a teacher on the furlough list, he confirmed. He said kindergarten registration will be held in March, and the district wanted parents to be aware that their children would be enrolled in a full-time program. Money for hiring an additional kindergarten teacher, if necessary, has already been included in the proposed preliminary budget, Bendle said.
In other action, the board unanimously adopted a proposed preliminary general fund budget for the 2016-17 school year of $10,162,861. The board also granted authorization to the administration to file for budget exceptions if deemed necessary for 2016-17 with the Department of Education.
With the proposed spending plan for 2016-17, revenues and expenditures are about $143,000 apart, Bendle said.
He said the district hopes it doesn’t have to raise taxes above the district’s Act 1 index of 3.4, but that “hinges” on the state passing a budget in a timely fashion.
The 3.4 index rate equates to about 1.173 of a mill, according to Bendle. One mill is valued at $109,684, he said.
Taxes would remain stable under the 2016-17 proposed preliminary general fund budget; with real estate taxes at 34.5 mills; an occupational assessment tax of $35; and two, $5 per capita taxes, according to Business Manager Terry Schane.