Upper Adams School District (UASD) school board approved the 2021-2022 budget that includes a 2.1% tax increase Tuesday.
The 2021-2022 budget that includes a 2.1% tax increase is approved by the Upper Adams School District (UASD) school board.
The approval establishes the tax rate of 15.6384, an increase of 2.1%; as well as the fiscal year 2022 revenue of $30,925,009 and expenditures of $31,656,531, according to Business Administrator Shelley Hobbs.
There was a 6-0 unanimous vote by the board. Board members Ed Ponce, James Rutkowski and Board Vice President Ron Ebbert were absent.
The approval comes after much deliberation and work from the Business and Finance Department, according to School Board President Tom Wilson. “We have in the administration, people who are fiscally responsible, who are looking for the right answers and not just slap-dashing something together,” he said.
Wilson encouraged members of the board to continually keep an eye on finance reports, “It helps you understand the budget better…it’s not something you can do at the end of the year and hope to get it right,” he said.
Finance Committee
In other business, all Finance Committee reports for the month of May were approved, including the treasurer’s reports and the combined board summary report.
According to Susan Crouse, school board treasurer, the Canner Funds awarded 17 classroom grants in the amount of $14,629. Canner Funds for the upcoming school year will be directed toward Canner Cyber Connectivity, and some of the previous year’s Color Day grants will be put toward this year’s also.
A $1,000 grant was also provided to the Biglerville Athletic Booster (BABA) to support summer athletics, Crouse said.
Some grants previously presented to the 2019-2020 school year for events that could not be utilized due to the shutdown, such as field trips and Color Day, had to be returned to the Adams County Community Foundation, she said.
Recognizing vital people
Recognizing the sanitation report presented earlier in the month by Aramark Facilities Director Christopher McMahon, School Board President Tom Wilson acknowledged the often-unseen people vital to UASD, including contractors and bus drivers.
“It takes a wide spectrum of people to make a school district work,” Wilson said.
Safety survey
School district Superintendent Wesley Doll stated that a survey will be sent out to the UASD community for input on utilizing funds and input on next year’s safety plan. “We’re really looking forward to seeing where things are going.” Doll said.
Future meetings
Curriculum and Extra Curricular Committee and Business and Operations Committee will meet August 3 starting at 6:30 p.m.
Policy Committee will meet August 5 at 9 a.m.
A.L. Grabenstein, reporter, is a graduate of Philadelphia's La Salle University with a B.A in Communication and has been a journalist since 2016. She has reported for the Gettysburg Times and the Times Herald in Norristown, PA. Grabenstein moved to Gettysburg from Montgomery County in 2019. She was born in San Antonio, TX., and previously lived in Virginia, and North Carolina. Grabenstein is actively involved in the borough of Gettysburg and loves giving voices to the local community.