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When the school board met this week, it flexed its political muscle at county, state, and federal government.
At the state level, Gov. Tom Wolf has proposed a budget with an increase to state education spending. Wolf is also calling for the application of the existing Fair Funding Formula to 100 percent of that funding.
If all of the governor's proposals get through, the district does not stand to lose anything in next year's funding. Wolf proposed adding more than $1 billion to the budget to make sure no districts lose money through the application of the formula.
"I think we have to respond to the governor's second attempt to implement this formula," Board Member Arthur Stewart said. "We all know that the formula devastates our basic education funding by 40 percent."
"That's an incredibly enormous number," Stewart said. Of the district's $25 million in state funding, a loss of 40 percent would be about $10 million.
"There seems to be some kind of prejudice in this formula that works against rural school districts," he said.
"Education's important," Board Member Marcy Morgan said. "We really need to be on top of this. People don't realize how it's going to impact us. If we don't speak up, we're going to be in trouble."
"He's totally off the wall in how rural school districts work," Board Member Joe Colosimo said. "They're going to put us behind the eight ball again. We need to advocate."
The board unanimously approved a motion calling for the board and administration to craft a position paper and strategy to "advocate against the governor's proposal."
ALLEGHENY NATIONAL FOREST
With the comment period for an Allegheny National Forest management project coming to a close, the board wanted to have its voice heard.
The project is located on the Marienville District in an area known as Deadman Corners.
"The Allegheny National Forest is proposing multiple activities to enhance forest health within a project area known as Deadman Corners," according to information from the ANF website. "The proposal includes, timber harvesting, reforestation, wildlife and aquatic habitat improvements, changes and improvements to forest roads, and the treatment of non-native invasive plants. This project would allow the Forest to achieve diverse tree species, contribute to a healthy and resilient ecosystem, while minimizing forest health threats."
"Our commenting here is necessary. It's good." Stewart said. "There are so many people who think that harvesting trees is an abuse of the forest. It's crying out for it. If people knew how sick the forest was, they'd be spurred into action."
"These trees are very, very old," he said. "They should have been harvested, in some cases, many decades ago."
Removing "sick, old trees" would allow for an increase in 'early successional' forest, he said.
While the school district receives funding from the U.S. Forest Service based on timber harvest receipts, board members said that was not the immediate concern.
"We're not saying, go clear cut the ANF," Board Member Joe Colosimo said. "We're not saying cut to raise tax dollars. We're saying cut to save the national forest."
And, in the long run, "allow the good forest to grow and reap the rewards of a good forest," Colosimo said.
The board approved a comment to be submitted to the ANF in support of the project.
COUNTY-WIDE REASSESSMENT
In January, the board discussed the issue of a county-wide reassessment.
Board members said the real estate tax system is not fair because the last reassessment was conducted in 1989
the board follow-up by approving a motion to send a request to the Warren County commissioners for "records and information regarding real estate tax assessment."
The school board is not the entity that would be saddled with the expense associated with a county-wide reassessment. That burden would fall on the Warren County commissioners.
The board approved a motion to request "records and information regarding real estate tax assessment," from the commissioners.