Upper Adams School District (UASD) board heard preliminary budget revisions and encouraged community feedback Tuesday.
The public will soon learn the results of an independent investigation following racial accusations on UASD campus, according to school board President Tom Wilson.
An executive summary report is planned for release May 18, according to Superintendent Dr. Wesley Doll.
“To provide a meaningful and informed response,” he said.
Committed to continuing discussions, a District Advisory Group is being formulated, composed of all aspects of the school district community, according to Doll.
“We want every student, parent, and member of the school community to know that destructive actions and hateful and/or decisive language on our campuses will not be tolerated.”
“All students deserve the opportunity to attend school in a safe and supportive learning environment and to focus on their studies without experiencing bias or harassment in any form,” Doll said.
Anyone with feedback or is interested in joining the advisory group is encouraged to email equityfeedback@upperadams.org. Ongoing updates can be found on the Anti-Racism Plan section of the Upper Adams School District website at https://www.upperadams.org/.
Finance
Business Administrator Shelley Hobbs presented updates to the projected fiscal year 2021-2022 budget.
The projected revenue was updated from what was previously presented to include a continued estimated local revenue tax increase of 2.1 percent, according to Hobbs.
Hobbes projected using an estimated fund balance of $428,332 to balance the fiscal year 2021.
The local revenue reflects the current county assessment and 96.75 percent collection rate on real estate, she said.
The Homestead/Farmstead amount is included in the state revenue, according to Hobbes.
A total mill rate for the preliminary budget would be 15.6384, she said.
The total projected revenue for the fiscal year is $30, 862,711 and the e projected expenses have not changed from previously presented, totaling $31,780,413, Hobbs said.
“Revenue is just shy of 31 million dollars for next year and expenses just shy of 32 million dollars for next year,” she said.
Preliminary voting is expected at the board’s May 18 meeting, with final adoption expected at the June 15 board meeting.
Curriculum and extracurricular committee
New educational opportunities are on the horizon for teachers as the weather gets warmer, according to Director of Curriculum, Instruction & Assessment Joe Albin.
Albin reviewed the 2021 Summer 2021 Professional Development Catalog containing programs, training, and conferences for teachers to attend throughout the year.
The flexible program utilizes “Comp Days,” allowing teachers to exchange program days for days worked in the summer, according to Albin.
“I think the teachers will have a summer of many educational opportunities,” he said.
The next board meeting, to be held via Zoom video, will be on May 18.
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.