Preliminary Budget – Act 1 of 2006 requires us to prepare and the Board to approve a preliminary budget in order to be able to apply for exceptions to the Index limitation on real estate tax rates for the 2013-14 school year budget. As discussed at prior meetings, this budget is not the detailed budget which will be available for Board and community review in the spring once additional information is known on both revenue and expenditure accounts. This budget totals $84,469,784, which is high enough to enable us to apply for all applicable exceptions. Approval of this preliminary budget does not require the Board to approve this millage amount when the final budget is adopted in May. The superintendent recommends approval of this legally required budget.
Most school districts post this on their websites. Not Mt. Lebanon. Through a Right To Know to the PDE, here it is.
Act 1 Exceptions Application
Mrs. Cappucci was adamant about all budget information being posted on the school district website, when I questioned the board at the April 2, 2013 Budget Forum. I found it fitting to pair up a 1972 Mt. Lebanon yearbook photo along with the podcast. I feel that it summarizes the school board directors' attitude towards the community.
Amazing. The document shows a budget shortfall of $1,865,309. Wow, almost like the song, 867-5309. No disclosure to the public. The school board was saying it was maybe, perhaps, not sure, something like $800,000 or so.
Please keep this a secret. We can't let this out.
37 comments:
Applying for exceptions and exclusions was in the plan all along.
Jan told Fraasch that was how they would circumvent Act 1 limits in one of his Audit & Finance meetings
Applying for exemptions and exclusions is far simpler than being fiscally responsible.
Mr. Steinhauer will meet or exceed expectations next year come salary time.
A bunch of crooks!
$1.865,309 in exceptions is the amount
Bill "Pizza-Pizza" Cooper told us was nothing.
Don't get too upset about this.
This is the amount they applied for.
According to their latest budget they will not exceed the index. Again, this is just Jan "keeping her options open" should the Board decide to go for the approved exception and raise taxes higher than the Act 1 index.
It doesn't mean (and doesn't look likely) that the Board will go over the Act 1 limit.
But we still don't know about the grievance outcome.
It sounds like you know what you are talking about. What about:
"There is no windfall. Act 1 will permit 1.7% in real estate dollars plus exceptions."
I am so confused. Cappucci said there will be no anti windfall provisions. http://www.mtlsd.org/district/stuff/school_board_president_report_3_13.docx.pdf
"Please keep in mind that the millage rates we are using at this point in the budgeting process are current rates, based on the 2002 assessments. Based on questions we have recently received from residents, there continues to be some confusion in the community about the ‘anti-windfall’ provisions related to the reassessments. Once the reassessments take effect, some residents will see their real estate taxes rise, and others will see theirs fall, based upon whether their new assessment is higher or lower than the average change in the Mt. Lebanon. Taxing bodies including the county, the school district and the municipality must remain revenue neutral after assessment; therefore the millage rate will be reduced if the average change is an increase so the taxing bodies will not see a windfall due to the overall increase in assessments. This does not, however, limit any of the taxing bodies’ ability to raise taxes this year to meet their budget needs. The possible increase in real estate tax needed to balance the 2013-2014 School District budget is independent from the change in millage rate due to reassessments."
Elaine
Is this for the fake budget or real budget ?
I have no idea. But didn't Capucci say that all the budget information is online? Compare the numbers. Wasn't the fake budget for the PDE? Or was the fake budget for us? Why does this remind me of YSA payments? A different number every place you look.
Why wasn't the application posted on the website? So much for transparency.
Elaine
The new millage calculation is not online, Mrs Cappucci.
The exception was based on the "Fake Budget".
Obviously, the Board (and Klein) like to put out a fake budget that shows a massive tax increase so that when they put real numbers to paper it appears that they have "saved the day" by reducing a 6% millage increase to 2%.
Public Communications 101 folks.
If you visit the budget section of the district website, http://www.mtlsd.org/District/Budget/default.asp it says
"Stay Tuned!
All televised School Board budget discussions will be posted on this website."
Why isn't the April 2 Forum online? It was televised. Is it because of my questions, Cappucci's performance, or Bill Matthew's eye opening presentation? My guess is all of the above.
Elaine
Just a thought after listening to Kubit's comments following Mary Birks for the second time.
How is it possible for one person to ramble on and on and say basically.... nothing.
He even admits he's rambling and needs to get back on track about halfway through,then proceeds to continue to ramble.
Why not just say: I'm for the budget because I think it's an investment in our kids and save everybody some time! Everybody pretty much knew he was going to vote that way before he even spoke.
2:52 PM, that is nothing new with Kubit. He did that frequently when he was president. I first noticed it after I spoke at a meeting with Ed presiding and Timmy looked at him with the funniest look as if to say, "What is wrong with you?" It was comical.
Speaking of Timmy, how can he sign an application to the PDE where he certified that all the information was accurate and complete while telling us it is a fake budget? It is all a big lie!!
Elaine
12:52 PM I've seen Kubit do a complete 180 degree reversal in opinion more than once during his 5-minute babbling episodes once he senses disapproving body language of his audience.
He always seems to have both feet firmly planted in midair.
The Office of Inspector General (OIG) at the U.S. Department of Education (ED) conducts audits, investigations, and inspections of education programs and operations. Anyone knowing of fraud, waste, or abuse of Department of Education funds should contact the OIG Fraud Hotline to make a confidential report.
http://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/oig/hotline.html
"Timmy", the SB and Ms. Klein want to spend more of our money and will lie to get it.
Boy, it sure got quiet here, but this link was sent to me privately by several people. How about someone else doing something for a change?
Elaine
Remember the school director who said she couldn't afford to stay in her home because the school taxes are increasing so fast? There is a FOR SALE sign in her front yard.
Maybe the nice weather has everybody out and about Elaine.
Seems Blogliebo, Reallebo, Voice of Mt. Lebanon, Lebo Fields have nothing much to say.
But, then LeboMag (maybe the editor got busted for entering Florida Condos illegally), ValueMtLebanon, KellyFraasch and Dave Brumfield have gone shall we say - deaf, dumb and blind as well.
Or maybe it is the calm before the storm.
Here's a suggestion, the next time one of the deep thinkers, Posti, Kubit, Cooper, Lebowitz, Birks or Cappucci says: "The number one reason people live in Mt. Lebanon are its schools," they should be force to ask our award-winning finance director,, "Jan you're one of the biggest benefactors of the district, why don't you live in paradise any more?"
Jan Is a beneficiary not a benefactor... damn auto correct.
Still no final budget to review. We wouldn't want to have more than thirty days to review it before the May 20 vote, now would we?
Elaine
10:53 PM I made that call months ago, received a callback, very politely told in so many words it was not a big enough deal to justify investigation because of scarce resources, severity/priority guidelines, etc.
So much for fraud protection !
That is why they are unstoppable. People need to be fired or go to jail, but that will never happen. The School Board and administrators do this because they know they can get away with it.
Where is the budget? Where is the April 2 budget forum? It can only be found on lebocitizens.com. I emailed theschool board about and as usual, have not gotten a response.
Elaine
I emailed the school board about [it] and as usual, have not gotten a response.
Elaine
Please enlighten us and post which laws were broken. are they felonies? misdemeanors? Where in the penal code can I find a list
How many calls have been made to the fraud hotline? you may want to file a request to get that number.
Guess what, no laws have been broken.
No body will go to jail.
Definitely not felonies or misdemeanors, but how about breaking items 9 & 12 of the board's ethics policy BCA
Mr. Lebowitz didn't seem like he was interesting in working harmoniously with Mr. Goldman. His response seemed more like a smack down.
Violation of #9.
Mr. Cooper surely wasn't basing his personal decisions on facts. Violation of #12. There is no way a .55 mill increase is anything like a zero mill budget increase.
A zero mill increase would result in $0 increase in revenue.
That is definitely not what the district needs, it needs $1.8 million in new revenue.
$0 vs $1.800,000 are nothing alike. That is a fact!
Here is the BCA policy.
http://www.mtlsd.org/district/stuff/policy/bca%20-%20board%20member%20code%20of%20ethics.pdf
Also, the millage increase is .54, not .55.
5:36 PM, why do we need to file a RTK for the number of calls to the fraud hotline? What is the magic number that would cause concern in your mind? If there were 55 calls, is that like zero?
Elaine
5:36 Where does taking money from "capital funds" and using them to cover project costs fall, especially when the referendum line is avoided by doing so? I remember kitchen equipment costs to the tune of $900,000.00 being earmarked from an account outside of the "renovation budget".
They may not go to jail, but the shell game is just plain unethical, the residents should have had a chance to vote given all this expense that will likely exceed the referendum limit.
Yes, you know, I know, everybody knows except in the board meeting before the last Mr. Cooper said .55 while everyone else used .54.
At least that what it sounded like he said on the Ch. 19 airing.
Was Pizza Pizza Cooper a Mount Lebanon graduate who needed remediation before he could take college math?
5:36 PM When the subject of fraud comes up with regard to the District, consider Black's Law Dictionary definition : "A false representation of material fact, whether by words or by conduct, by false or misleading allegations, or by concealment of that which should have been disclosed, which deceives another so that he/she acts, or fails to act, to his detriment"; or, consider even a basic dictionary definition, "a deception deliberately practiced in order to secure unfair or unlawful gain or advantage".
Then think back just over the past five years and apply these definitions to the myriad of controversial matters and issues the District and school board has foisted upon residents, taxpayers and parents. Apply these definitions to each and every one.
What about the PA governor or Senator Murphy investigating the school district finances? There has to be somebody to look into these issues!
There is a reason we were not selected as a Banner Community. http://lebocitizens.blogspot.com/2013/04/gee-where-is-mt-lebanon_2.html
Anyone get a copy of the final budget yet?
Elaine
I have sent an email to Jan Klein asking her where the budget is posted only because school board directors will not respond in an email. They and their groupies just like to send in anonymous, scathing comments to the blog.
What a difference between the district and the commission. Cappucci claims everything is on the district website. Yet, it isn't. The commission prints out hard copies of the budget for residents to follow during the budget meetings and uploads the budget online. The commission requires each department to give a "State of the Union Address." Each department reports to the commission IN A PUBLIC MEETING with facts and figures. The District likes to put out there that they are considering sharing elementary school principals, cutting librarians or making changes to the FLES program. The following meeting, the principals, foreign language teachers and librarians fill the room and make their emotional pleas to the school board. The school board give their traditional "We've cut the fat. Now we're cutting into muscle" speeches. The school board looks like heroes and then raises our taxes. No wonder our theatre department is top notch. They learn from the best.
I suppose I have to file a RTK for the budget. What a difference between our two local governments.
Elaine
Why file a RTK? The District will just stall for 35 days, then the damage is already done. It will only cost another $2,600 out of "muscle" to give you a truthful budget.Way to behave Timmie.
Hey 536: why such the smarmy defense? How do you know laws haven't been broken? That would be the point of an investigation. You know, to investigate. But thanks so much for the intelligent insight. Id be willing to bet that in addition to several school board slugs violating a number of laws during the election in 2011, they have broken a number of state laws by hiding what's really going on with the district finances. We will only know if the state-funded auditors get off their collective backsides and do their job.
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