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School Board approves 2020-21 final budget with no millage increase
Shaler Area School Board of Directors approved the 2020-21 school year final budget during its June 17 voting meeting. The $90,026,431 proposed budget continues the district’s commitment to supporting quality educational initiatives and improving the safety and security of the district’s facilities with no millage increase.

The 2020-21 budget includes revenues of $84,264,463. Shaler Area will close the budgetary gap using $5.8 million of its fund balance and continual analysis of the budget throughout the year for cost-savings measures. The 2020-21 millage rate will remain at 23.5319 mills.

The 2020-21 budget includes an overall increase of approximately 1.7 percent over the 2019-20 budget.

The proposed final budget continues Shaler Area’s commitment to quality educational programing through supporting the following projects: 
  • Continuation of the Project ACE 1:1 iPad initiative;
  • Professional development to support the new reading series in Kindergarten through sixth-grade;
  • Two school resource officers.

The proposed final budget also continues Shaler Area’s commitment to the safety, security and maintenance of its facilities and designates funds for the following projects:
  • Replacing outdated automatic control systems and HVAC improvements at the high school, middle school, and elementary school;
  • Upgrading security with door replacements at the high school and Marzolf Primary;
  • Replacing the boiler systems at the elementary school and Burchfield Primary; 
  • Repaving the high school parking lot;
  • Upgrading the exterior lighting at the high school;
  • Replacing video surveillance cameras throughout the district.

While the budget features several line item decreases such as rent, repairs and utilities, supplies, books and diesel fuel, and dues and memberships, the largest portion of the budget — 92 percent — is fixed and contractual costs related to compensation, transportation, charter school and outside placement tuition, and debt service. 

The district recognizes that the current economic crisis will affect the financial stability of many organizations and individuals within the Shaler Area community and across the nation. Local resources are projected to be hit hard due to the current estimate of unemployment across the state and the nation, and the loss of revenues is estimated in many areas of the district budget. Understanding these factors, the district is committed to not raising taxes and will flat-fund expenditures than are not contractual or reduce costs where possible without affecting the quality of education.

The budget is available for public inspection on the Business Office webpage (on the right-hand side of the page).