Easton School Tax Increase Seems Likely

For the Easton Area School District, balancing the 2012-2013 budget could mean cutting 77 jobs, slashing programs and raising taxes by 2.2 percent.

That's according to Chief Operating Officer Michael Simonetta, who gave the school board a budget presentation Wednesday evening.

And to make matters worse, it may just be a sign of things to come for the district.

"No matter what we do this year, we're in the same situation next year and the next year," board member Frank Pintabone said. "We're either going to kill the taxpayer or kill the students."

How would the students suffer? 

Forty teaching positions would be cut, and that would mean increased class sizes, a restructuring of middle school teaming and cutting middle school intervention along with library time, art, music and physical education in grades K though 4. Those moves would save the district $2.9 million.

Other cuts would include:

• The elimination of 27 support staff ranging from security to librarians to lunch aides ($540,000)
• The elimination 10 custodial jobs ($550,000)
• Cutting both boys and girls varsity and junior varsity lacrosse, high school indoor track, and charging fees for athletic physicals ($75,000)
• The Easton Area Academy would eliminate 5th grade, making the school run grades 6 through 12 only, eliminate elective options for Academy students, cut four teaching positions along with three paraprofessionals ($481,000).
• Full-day kindergarten would be made a half-day program, and after-school programs would be cut ($420,000).
• Restructuring contracted services, along with cutting district-funded field trips, staff development, late bus runs and account costs ($824,000), is also on the table.

Still, while increased taxes and cuts seem inevitable, the presentation is far from the final word on the matter.

Not yet factored into the equation are promises from professional associations on behalf of district employees -- including all administrators, support and transportation staff in the district -- to voluntarily accept pay freezes for the coming year.

For teachers and top administrators, in a row they have done so.

Administrators and the board will be continuing to scrutinize the budget, looking for nearly anything and making adjustments that can ease the situation, Simonetta said, noting that less than a year ago and is still in the process of evaluating the district's situation.

Many of the board directors, too, .

"We inherited a huge problem, and we're trying to make responsible choices for the future," board president Robert Fehnel said.

To that effect, the board had also asked for budget estimates that also included a lesser tax increase of 1.7 percent and a zero percent increase.

Under a 1.7 percent increase, the shortfall would increase by $415,000, necessitating the elimination of the district's partnership with Family Connections/ProJeCt of Easton ($200,000), extra pay for extra duty for teachers ($65,000) and middle school athletics ($150,000).

While the reductions with a 2.2 percent increase sound dire, that is the best scenario, Simonetta said.

"It's more about restructuring and doing things differently than cutting programs," he said.

However, things change drastically if the board were to opt for no increase at all.

With a zero-percent tax increase, all the eliminations under the first two scenarios would happen, along with cutting into early learning programs, including 18 elementary interventionists ($1,170,000) and elementary instrumental music ($222,000).

The estimated tax bill for a property assessed at $100,000 would increase by $90 per year with a 1.7 percent tax hike, or $117 per year under the 2.2 percent scenario for those in Northampton County.

Simonetta promised he and other administrators will be continually looking for ways to save the district money.

"We need to analyze how we do things and talk with the teachers and staff," Simonetta said. "I don't think anyone is looking at this as a sustainable contract or budget from the taxpayers' standpoint."

Other than board member Robert Moskaitis, who said he favors the zero-percent option, some sort of increase seems likely to be approved.

But there's still more to be considered before any final decision is made. The board has scheduled four more budget meetings; all of them are scheduled for Easton Area High School's auditorium:

• April 10 (Finance Committee meeting)
• April 17 (regular board meeting)
• May 15 (proposed final budget presentation)
• May 22 (final budget adoption)