Some more articles of interest

Mar. 23, 2004: City district receives budget-balancing plan

By Shaun Lockhart Reading Eagle

The Reading School Board is considering a plan that would invest about $76 million from the district’s construction fund and use a portion of the interest to offset a projected budget deficit.

Robert A. Schoch, district business manager, presented the plan to the board Monday night.

The plan would call for dividing the money in half and investing in two types of accounts, with the district getting half of the interest from one of the accounts up front and the rest paid out over several years.

Schoch said this tactic could provide a budget-balancing strategy that could help make up the savings found last year through refinancing and additional borrowing.

The district would still have money — more than $10 million — to do various projects.

The district is in the midst of a $100 million renovation and expansion of its facilities, although so far only a handful of the districts schools have been rehabilitated since the effort began about five years ago.

The board could vote on the measure Wednesday.

In other business, Dr. M. Melissa Jamula, superintendent, presented a plan to the board to cut the number of cell phones in the district to 73 from 111.

Jamula said 73 phones were needed so key staff could be reached in the event of an emergency. The plan calls for the 30 of the phones, to be utilized by the facilities department, with the rest distributed to key personnel throughout the district.

The plan would could save the district $22,324 a year, according to Jamula.
Board member Keith Stamm, who has championed the issue since before he joined the board, said 53 would seem like a more reasonable number. The board will likely vote on the measure Wednesday night.

Contact reporter Shaun Lockhart at 610-371-5032 or slockhart@readingeagle.com


Mar. 29, 2004: City schools reject raises for coaches

The board votes against $43,828 in pay hikes for the 36 employees despite the superintendent’s reminder that they have gone 10 years without an increase.

By Shaun Lockhart Reading Eagle

There will be no raises — at least for now — for the 36 members of the Reading High School coaching staff.

The school board, by a 5-4 vote, rejected $43,828 in raises for 36 coaches at the high school. The district has $102,913 earmarked for coaching salaries this year.

Board members Frederick H. Gaige, Ronald A. McDowell, Stratton Marmarou and Kenneth Christian voted for the raises. Board members Keith Stamm, Karen McCree, Pierre Cooper, John Santoro and Rodney E. Steffy opposed the raises.

Before the vote Marmarou pleaded with board members to consider the coaches before casting their votes.

Dr. M. Melissa Jamula, superintendent, said coaches have gone 10 years without a raise.

She said many coaches go above and beyond the call of duty and deserve compensation that would make them competitive with other districts.
Coaching salaries aren’t included in the teachers collective bargaining agreement and must be negotiated separately, officials said.

Santoro said he recognized the raises were deserved, but the district couldn’t afford the additional expense for extracurricular activities while making cuts in other areas.

McCree agreed and said she would support the raises if the administration could find a way to fund them beyond the current school year.

Jamula said she hopes the board will reconsider.

"These coaches do so much," she said.

Reading High tennis coach Mike Mavreles said Friday that he understands the district’s financial situation and wasn’t expecting a raise.

"Whatever they did is fine with me," said Mavreles, who is paid $1,600 a year and is in his second year a tennis coach. "I am satisfied with what I was receiving."

Reading wrestling coach Joseph Ferrari said he is disappointed by the board’s actions. Ferrari, who also teaches at Southwest Middle School, claims Reading coaches’ salaries are among the lowest in the region.

"If they are going to reconsider I’ll wait and see what happens," said Ferrari, who is paid $4,050 to coach. "I’m not going to work the rest of my life for $4,000.

Contact reporter Shaun Lockhart at 610-371-5032 or at slockhart@readingeagle.com


May 4, 2004:Reading board OKs changes to high school’s dress code

From our news staff

The Reading School Board voted 5-3 Monday night to approve revisions to Reading High School’s dress code that will allow students to wear jeans and sweat pants. Board members Pierre V. Cooper, Frederick H. Gaige, Karen H. McCree, Ronald A. McDowell and John Santoro Jr. voted for the change. Board members Kenneth J. Christian and Stratton P. Marmarou, both of whom were opposed, questioned if the revised code could be enforced. Keith R. Stamm, who also voted no, said he was concerned the change will result in abuses and allow teachers to dress more casually. Board member Rodney E. Steffy was absent. McCree, who is chairwoman of the committee in charge of the dress code, said board members should have raised their concerns in committee meetings instead of waiting until Monday night. Under the revised policy, high school students still will have to dress neatly and will be prohibited from wearing clothes that are intentionally ripped or display inappropriate messages. The dress code will remain unchanged at other district schools. The policy also gives administrators leeway to determine if clothing is inappropriate. The change was prompted by a districtwide survey in which many teachers said they devoted too much time to enforcing the more restrictive dress code.


Aug. 11, 2004: Panel: City school tax should rise

A 7.5 percent increase and spending cuts would strengthen the case for more state aid, a district financialrecovery team says.

©2004 Reading Eagle Company By Kori Walter Reading Eagle

City taxpayers should pay an extra 7.5 percent in property taxes to show the state that the cash-strapped Reading School District is serious about shoring up its finances, a district financial-recovery team recommended Tuesday.

Property taxes would increase by one-half of a mill each year during the 2005-06, 2006-07 and 2007-08 school years, according to the recommendations released by the panel during a hearing at Reading Area Community College.

The tax rate would rise to 21.25 mills from 19.75 mills during those years. That would mean a $75 tax hike on a property assessed at $50,000.
Paul R. Roedel, chairman of the 11-member panel, said the tax hike could be used as leverage in talks with Harrisburg about increasing state aid.

"We believe there must be some level of local support or we won’t have a chance at more state support," said Roedel, a former Carpenter Technology Corp. executive.

But none of the panel’s recommendations, which also include cutting costs by $6.8 million and spending $11 million on new education programs, can be implemented without approval from the school board.

Board member Keith R. Stamm said after Tuesday’s hearing that he doubts raising taxes will get much support.

"Rather than recommending a tax increase, I would have liked to see more cost reductions as a sign to the state of our good-faith efforts," Stamm said.

The panel’s blueprint for restoring financial stability relies heavily on hefty contributions from the state.

While property owners would be asked to chip in an extra $1.7 million in taxes, the panel projected the state will need to come through with a total of $23.1 million during the next three years.

Without the revenue, the panel projected the district’s budget deficit will hit $11.26 million by 2007-08.

"We cannot generate (property) tax funds to provide for the education of the challenging kids we have," Roedel said.

County Commissioner Mark C. Scott, who served on the panel, said the team could have been more aggressive with its cost-cutting forecasts.

A state Department of Education analysis found that the district could save a total of $4 million. More than half of that money — $2.6 million — could be saved by laying off 54 maintenance workers, custodians, guidance counselors and teachers, the state concluded.

Roedel’s panel set a goal of trimming costs by just $2 million using some of the state’s costcutting suggestions.

"I’m not sure the city of Reading needs to step up and chip in extra real-estate taxes as a gesture of good faith in a city that’s already taxed out to the max," Scott said.

Contact reporter Kori Walter at 610-371-5022 or kwalter@readingeagle.com


Aug. 26, 2004: City school board to appeal lawsuit ruling

The 7-1 decision also appeals any state sanctions against the district for not complying with a federal education law.

By Shaun Lockhart Reading Eagle

The Reading School Board voted 7-1 Wednesday night to appeal a state court decision that threw out its lawsuit against President Bush’s No Child Left Behind Act.

The district’s appeal, which was approved in two separate votes that had identical outcomes, also includes language that appeals any Pennsylvania Department of Education sanctions the district experienced as a result of not complying with the law.

Board member Keith R. Stamm cast the sole vote against the appeals. Board member Dr. Frederick H. Gaige was absent.

Before the votes, board president Kenneth J. Christian urged the board to support the appeal, which will be filed with the Pennsylvania Supreme Court.

Christian said the money the district was putting into the lawsuit was small when compared to what the district would save if the suit were a success.
"The ultimate payoff could be very big for us," he said.

The district has calculated that it would take $26.1 million to improve test scores in the five schools the state cited last year for not meeting academic standards set forth in the Act, officials said.

So far the district has spent $18,400 on its lawsuit.

Stamm said he voted against the appeals because of the mounting legal costs.
Stamm said he asked Richard L. Guida, the district’s solicitor, if he would waive his fees for the case if the district lost. Guida declined.

In a ruling issued earlier this month, the three-judge Commonwealth Court panel said the district failed to prove that it had not received enough money to comply with the law, and that it was not practical for the state to offer statewide standardized tests in languages other than English.

In other business, the district awarded two $500 prizes as part of its Reading SAVES program, which seeks to recognize good ideas for saving money. The prizes were awarded to one teacher and one student.

The winners are:

Karen Quinn, a Reading High School teacher, who proposed teachers list materials they don’t need on the school Web site and make them available for teachers who need them.

Jessica Sedoti, a ninthgrader at Reading High, who proposed getting companies to sponsor individual schools financially or with services for a year.

Contact reporter Shaun Lockhart at 610-371-5032 or slockhart@readingeagle.com

Oct. 12, 2004: Improved vo-tech school coming

After 10 years of talks, the committee that operates the facility attended by Reading and Muhlenberg students hires renovation contractors.

©2004 Reading Eagle Company By Mike Trask Reading Eagle

The operating committee of the Reading-Muhlenberg Vocational Technical School took the final step Monday night toward the school’s $23 million expansion and renovation — a project that has been under discussion for 10 years.

The committee voted 5-0 to award contracts for the project, which is scheduled to begin next month. Completion is expected by September 2006.
Reading will pay 55 percent of the cost, and Muhlenberg, 45 percent. The split is based on the assessed market value of properties in each district.

The school has an enrollment of about 1,200 students from Reading and Muhlenberg school districts.

The project — the first of its kind at the school — is intended to boost enrollment by about 400 students a year.

Tourism and hospitality are among programs likely to be added, officials said.

Both districts have discussed the project for 10 years. Officials said Monday that they are thrilled it’s coming to fruition.

"I got on this board nine years ago and the discussions were already under way," said Donald B. Raifsnider Jr., a member of both the Muhlenberg school board and the technical school operating committee.

Dr. M. Melissa Jamula, Reading superintendent, called the day historic. She said the expansion will allow the school to offer additional programs and improve existing classes.

"It’s going to give our students a first-class facility that they deserve," Jamula said.

Original bids earlier this year for the project came in at $5 million more than anticipated, so staff in both districts worked to get the cost down and had the contracts re-bid.

Committee members said the wait was worth it.

Keith R. Stamm, chairman, said the work will give students a better opportunity to learn.

"I feel this will give students more encouragement to stay in school," he said.

Contact reporter Mike Trask at 610-371-5037 or mtrask@readingeagle.com


All articles reproduced herein © 2004 Reading Eagle Company