POTTSTOWN PA – A tentative general fund budget of more than $59.32 million was unanimously approved Tuesday (May 8, 2012) by the Pottsgrove Board of School Directors, and with it a proposed 3.54-percent hike in property taxes, but it’s far from the final word on what the Pottsgrove School District spending plan may look like for the 2012-2013 academic year.

“This is only a procedural step,” board Solicitor Kyle Berman cautioned. “It just starts the conversation” on the budget, which will take at least another month, he told directors. Board Treasurer Patti Grimm conducted the meeting for her first time in the absence of President Michael Neiffer, Vice President Scott Fulmer and Secretary Philip Keogh, and Berman helped her direct its administrative traffic.

Directors had little comment on the tentative budget approval.

Although its accompanying tax increase is unchanged from the preliminary budget accepted months earlier by the board, Business Administrator David Nester said some of its line items have ben significantly revised. The newest version includes about $420,000 in savings the district will realize from the early retirement of 11 teachers. However, it also bears an additional $685,000 in self-insured health plan payments.

Nester also noted a bill had been introduced Monday (May 7) in the Pennsylvania State Senate that, if approved, could have some beneficial impact on Pottsgrove finances. He warned, however, that the legislation represented only a proposal, and there was no indication how far it might progress, if at all, toward approval. “We’ll continue to monitor that,” he said.

Related (to the Pottsgrove School District 2012-2013 budget):

• Pottsgrove Board Approves $59.32M Tentative Budget
• Tentative Budget Approval On Pottsgrove’s Agenda
• Health Care Law Provisions Add To Pottsgrove Budget
• Pottsgrove Begins Its Deeper Look Into 2012-2013 Budget
• Tax Hike Shows In Preliminary Peek At Pottsgrove Budget
• Pottsgrove Model For Budget Force Gets Earlier Start

Related (to the Pottsgrove Board of School Directors’ May 8 meeting):

• Pottsgrove Board Approves $59.32M Tentative Budget
• Tentative Budget Approval On Pottsgrove’s Agenda