.42 mill increase (less was not possible)

The agenda for tonight's April 13, 2015 School Board Meeting:

2015-2016 Proposed Final Budget: RESOLVED, That the Board approves the Proposed Final Budget in the form presented in the amount of $91,643,749 at a millage rate of 23.57 mills, a .42 mill increase. The Board approves making this Budget available for public view until the meeting on May 18, 2015 when a Final Budget will be approved with any changes the Board deems necessary.

This was the resolution from one year ago:

2014-2015 Proposed Final Budget: RESOLVED, That the Board approves a Proposed Final Budget in the amount of $87,924,509, at a millage rate of 23.15 mills, a .54 mill increase from 2013-14, utilizing $750,000 of the fund balance in the form presented.
Furthermore, the Board intends to vote on a Final Budget with such changes as it deems necessary at its May 19, 2014 meeting.

As it stands, we won't know until May 18, 2015 if Dr. Steinhauer and the administration were able to develop a budget with less than a .42 mill increase to cover the Pennsylvania Public School Employees’ Retirement System (PSERS) rate increase, use $750,000 of the fund balance, and make approximately $582,000 in budget reductions to balance the budget. A .42 mill increase is $42 a year on a home assessed at $100,000."


Every year, the Board, Dr. Steinhauer, and Jan Klein are less transparent.

• No Budget Forum again
• No cost savings worksheet published again.
• Capital Projects List is only for 2015-2016. This includes: Paint lines on turf for lacrosse and field hockey(annual) 5,000.00.  Last year's 79 page report was for 2014-2018. The Capital Project List for 2014-2015 was on pages 78 and 79 which included the infamous Trophy Case. The five forecast included turfing the Rock Pile. (Turf for upper practice field.)

Final Potential Cost Savings Worksheet is here

My Right To Know of September 10, 2012 was granted this morning. I asked for the final version of the “Potential Cost Savings Worksheet.” To my surprise, it includes associated costs in the final version. Thank you, Mrs. Szalinski, for granting my request so quickly.

Final Cost Savings Worksheet

Notice Line Item 23. We saved $90,000 because OWPP said that according to CEC correspondence to MTLSD, pyrite remediation is not needed.

Who's to blame?

Remember the "rumor" that Josephine Posti addressed on her Center Court blog? http://jposti.blogspot.com/#!/2012/08/project-on-schedule-and-on-budget.html There has been speculation in the community since discussions first began with the change order for Geofoam. 

So tonight, there will be a discussion about the seven change orders listed on the agenda.  For some reason, the School District is only counting five towards the construction.

We now have a need for retaining walls, Geofoam, pyrite remediation, repairs to utility line conflicts, to name just a few of the change orders needed.

Back in October 2005, architects Burt Hill Kosar Rittelman Associates alerted school board directors of the unstable soil on the site. Mt. Lebanon Pool cost up again; now $6.5 million Knowing this, would Celli Flynn design a building on unstable soil? Is it poor workmanship? Nello built our Public Safety Building. Ask our police and firemen about the condition of the building. Or is it the school board directors? Remember this cost savings worksheet? Potential Project Cost Savings Worksheet Look at what was eliminated. Does the Board have the luxury to cherry pick from a list as to what should be eliminated? Doesn't one change affect others?

Didn't the Board waive contractors' insurance as a cost reduction? If that is the case, then there is no hope for reimbursement from insurance.