Lenape Tech Praises Staff During Budget Meeting

by David Croyle

Few staff members were present for last night’s budget meeting at Lenape Technical School, but that didn’t stop Administrator Dawn Kocher-Taylor from lavishing praise upon all of them.

Kocher-Taylor unveiled the 2016-17 budget to members of the Joint Operating Committee. It showed the school has been fiscally responsible and plans to continue its conservative course.

The entire budget for next year is calculated at $8.58 million - that’s only a one percent increase from this school year.

Kocher-Taylor said with state funding being held up for most of the school year, staff members reached into their own pockets to pay for some items. One staffer found textbooks on Amazon for $5 instead of the school paying the full-price fee of $105.

“We have developed a culture that you buy what you need,” Kocher-Taylor told JOC members. “So teachers shop around for sales and only get what they need when they need it. They are better consumers. That has worked out well.”

Student enrollment, currently at 535 students, is expected to increase another 50 students next year. Applications to attend Lenape closed on April 15.

Staff salaries, which represent the largest portion of the budget, were sliced 1.4% for next year - mainly due to some retirements, not filling positions, and redistributing duties involved with other positions.

Healthcare benefits rose $170,000 for the next year. Kocher-Taylor said they calculated the increase based on the current number of participants. It does not include some staff that elect to not use Lenape’s health coverage because another spouse has family coverage where they work. She said that if the household situation changes - as has happened due to layoffs in the gas and oil industry over the past year where workers have been furloughed - that number could go up. Any increase would have to be taken from a $50,000 contingency fund.

Kocher-Taylor said a decrease in purchases of 5% will save the school around $14,000 next year. Even with decrease in purchasing supplies, she said it would not affect instruction of students.

Another 5.5% which is approximately $34,000, was saved in the areas of maintenance, central supplies, academic (people, personnel, guidance) and other services.

Last month, the Committee accepted a $75,000 grant that required a $50,000 match which was reserved in the new budget.

Equipment purchases was decreased by almost 8%. Kocher-Taylor cautioned the Committee of the need to allocate funds to upgrade a mini-van that is used to transport students to the Health Center, HAVIN, and other places for community service projects. This year, Lenape upgraded a pickup truck that is used to haul supplies.

“Everything else is very close to what we feel the spending is going to be,” Kocher-Taylor said. “We really try to budget as close as we can.”

The sending districts had some good news as well. District contributions are actually less than they were last year. Because of additional 10th grade students, reimbursement went up about $150,000. District contribution is down $8,900 from last year.

“Our state reimbursement is about the same, but higher than it was a few years ago. We will pursue whatever grants we can get. And we will get revenue from the retirement system because it was well funded,” she said.

Kocher-Taylor pointed out that the Adult Education Center also contributes to the overall budget.

She highlighted areas where Lenape is ‘very conscientious’ in generating revenue within the educational programs. Cosmetology and the restaurant have both deposited over $20,000 this year from sales made in their shops. They also generate revenue from building and selling a home each year. The Law Enforcement program also charges to do fingerprinting that meets the required standards.

“We have asked teachers to consider ways that they can help defray cost of their budget,” she said.

The budget is only preliminary at this point. Copies will go to Armstrong, Leechburg, Apollo-Ridge, and Freeport business managers before being released to all 36 school board members. Final adoption will be in June.