Greater Nanticoke approves proposed budget with maximum tax hike

NANTICOKE — With a bit more than a month to find savings before a final budget is passed, the Greater Nanticoke Area School Board approved a proposed final budget Wednesday that would raise property taxes by the 4.5% maximum allowed under state law yet still be $1.32 million in the red, a hole to be filled by draining a $2.2 million fund balance to $913,070.

Both Business Manager Albert Melone and Superintendent Ron Grevera said the district expects to find additional savings before a final budget is approved, which by state law must happen no later than June 30.

The budget sets expenditures at $33.09 million with revenue of $31.7 million, increasing the property tax rate to 12.4473 mills. A mill is a $1 tax for every $1,000 of assessed value.

Grevera said the biggest problem was an increase in payments to cyber charter schools. When a student in a district opts to enroll in an outside cyber charter, the district must give some of its state subsidy to that charter. But the districts frequently point out they do not save as much money by losing a student as they pay to the charter. Grevera said this year Greater Nanticoke Area’s payments to cyber charters increased by more than $1 million.

The district has launched a campaign to try to get cyber charter students to return to the district, which offers it own online learning platform. Grevera penned a letter to the editor in Wednesday’s paper pointing out the district now has 170 students enrolled in outside cybers, even though the district has it’s own Cyber Academy.

“The school district is paying up to 12 different outside cyber charter schools $2.5 million dollars per year, which is at the expense of the Greater Nanticoke Area taxpayers,” Grevera wrote.

The district is also contacting families with cyber charter students to see what would bring them back to the district, either in person or in the district cyber academy.

Along with voting for the proposed final budget, the board approved a Memorandum Of Understanding between the district and the teachers union allowing the retirement of music teacher Ellen Rutkowski. After the meeting, Grevera explained that Rutkowski had taken a sabbatical during the pandemic and the district usually requires a teacher to return for at least a year following a sabbatical, but the MOU allows this exception without setting a precedent.

The board also unanimously denied a request for three unpaid days from Melisa McGovern. No explanation was given and Grevera said it was a personnel matter and he could not comment.