School district eyes options for graduation
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When many state COVID-19 restrictions are removed on May 31, Warren County School District could move forward with larger indoor events - including graduations.
But, it may not.
Not everyone is comfortable doing so, according to Superintendent Amy Stewart, and the district wants to accommodate as many people as possible.
"With the restrictions coming off, it appears that we'll be able to gather indoors without percent or gathering restrictions," Stewart said during Monday's school board meeting. "My recommendation is going to be that we stick with outdoors."
"To take an event of that size indoors would prohibit some of our students from participating," she said. "Some of our students and their families feel very strongly…" about avoiding groups of people.
She recommended the district be "as inclusive as possible" with respect to graduation.
Currently, all of the district's high schools are planning outdoor graduation events.
The rain-or-shine graduation idea has positive and negatives, she said. "We need to have some sort of a rain plan… we'll be looking at different days for a Plan B, a Plan C."
While the district could move full-steam-ahead with indoor gatherings, Stewart said she expects the removal of the restrictions to be more helpful in making decisions for next school year than it will be for changing things in the eleventh hour of the current school year.
There are some programs that have been unable to hold events that could benefit from Gov. Tom Wolf's announcement.
"At this point, we are receiving requests, particularly from music teachers, wanting to hold some concerts," Stewart said.
She said directors are interested in holding any concerts - even if they have to involve less than the full group of students and have to be held outdoors.
The board expressed no opposition to that idea.
BUDGET
The board is in its last two months of budget preparation. The final budget is due by the end of June.
Director of Business Services Jim Grosch presented a millage analysis to the board.
The board previously voted not to raise taxes above the state-assigned index of 4.3 percent.
An increase of 4.3 percent would raise the millage from 55.3371 to 57.7166.
"That millage increase would give the district $1,160,000 of additional revenues," Grosch told the board.
In order to help the board visualize "what a millage increase means to properties in the county," Grosch used a sample property with an appraised value of $40,000.
Taxes are based on the assessed value - half the appraisal.
The increase in millage would mean that property owner would pay $47.59 more in 2022 than in 2021, he said.
"When we come with a proposed final budget, we are going to come with a proposed (tax) increase," he said.