Board meeting also showcases students’ enthusiasm for history, robotics
By Kathleen Brady Shea, Managing Editor, The Times
Bob and Robin Lawton received approval – and the thanks of the board – to establish the Steven R. Lawton Demon Robotics Scholarship. Three years ago, their son, Steven, founded the school’s robotics club, which has enjoyed success.
Challenging weather – and finances – dominated the Monday night meeting of the Kennett Consolidated School Board, but inspiring passions for history and robotics helped offset the negatives.
Board Member Michael H. Finnegan, who heads the Finance Committee, presented a detailed analysis of the preliminary 2014-2015 budget, which is available for public review on the district’s web site. The $76,251,715 spending proposal requires a 2.51 percent millage increase, which translates into a tax hike of $126 for the average residential property owner.
As a precautionary measure, Finnegan said the district would apply for an Act 1 exception so that it can raise taxes above the state limit of 2.1 percent, an exception available for expenses that the district cannot control, such as retirement costs. But Finnegan said the budget is a work in progress, and efforts will continue to whittle the burden for taxpayers. “A zero percent increase would make everyone happier, but that’s not possible,” he said.
Board Member Michael H. Finnegan (right) discusses the preliminary 2014-2015 budget as Board Member Dominic F. Perigo Jr. follows along.
Finnegan said “with no new sources of money,” the district is holding the line on the expenditures it has the power to limit. The Pennsylvania School Employees Retirement System (PSERS), which has been underfunded for about a decade, represents one of the district’s biggest demands, he said. The district, which must pay a stipulated percentage of salary for all qualified employees, will see an increase of 26.4 percent over last year. “Every governor kept kicking the can down the road,” Finnegan said of the pension situation, causing the problem to worsen.
District officials are still trying to decipher Gov. Corbett’s proposed budget, but he appears to be taking the same approach as his predecessors, Finnegan said. Corbett is proposing a lowering of the PSERS contribution rate, Finnegan said. “It’s like taking your 20-year mortgage and making it a 30-year mortgage,” he explained.
Another burgeoning cost beyond the district’s control involves charter schools. Finnegan said the preliminary budget includes an increase of $337,000 the district must pay in tuition – the result of increased enrollment in cyber charter schools and more students being identified for special education, which more than doubles the tuition reimbursement. “It’s costing us a lot of money,” he said, citing the $2.6 million allocation.
The district has also been particularly hard hit by the depressed real-estate market, which has resulted in lower assessments for many taxpayers, Finnegan said. But he said there’s evidence of a slight upturn. “Things are starting to come back for housing and jobs,” Finnegan said.
The board voted unanimously to approve the release of the preliminary budget, which will also be available in the superintendent’s office for public review and comment until June 9.
Board Member Dominic F. Perigo Jr., who heads the Facilities and Operations Committee, described “a very challenging week” caused by the ice storm. He said after the electricity came back on at Greenwood Elementary, a “power surge may have damaged” its transformer. As a result, the school had no heat and had to be closed on Monday. Crews worked overnight on Monday to install a rental transformer, Perigo said, which enabled the school to open on Tuesday.
Superintendent Barry Tomasetti said he had initiated discussions with the teachers’ union to see whether at least 85 percent of the staff would be available either Monday, Feb. 17, and/or the first three days of spring break, for possible snow makeup days. He said six days have been lost so far this year to inclement weather.
“My biggest concern is that we’ll have more snow,” Tomasetti said. The board authorized him to schedule the makeup days if enough teachers would be available.
He said on Wednesday, Feb. 12, that he had polled all staff members to determine who might have already made travel plans. “We want to be sure that if we exchange spring break vacation for instructional days, they are productive,” Tomasetti said, stressing that “too many staff members” absent would undermine efficiency. He said Feb. 17 was no longer an option, but he expected to have the information Wednesday afternoon about spring vacation and would notify everyone impacted.
Tomasetti also explained that the 2014-2015 school calendar, which the board approved, includes one snow makeup day and the possibility of turning five holidays into inclement weather makeup days: Jan. 19, Feb. 16, March 30, March 31, and April 1. Acknowledging that schedule changes always pose challenges for parents, he said any changes would involve as much advance notice as possible. “We have to be flexible,” he said. “We’re not going to make everyone happy.”
Board President Heather Schaen said that she supported building some options into the schedule. “If you plan for it, it won’t happen,” she suggested.
In other business, high school students Hannah Dale and Adrianna Taraboletti presented a proposal that the board approve the Kennett High School History Club as an extracurricular activity overseen by Shawn Duffy, a social studies teacher. The girls explained that 30 to 35 students who enjoy history have been meeting at least twice a month to discuss a wide range of topics. The board unanimously approved the motion to give the group club status.
Three years ago, the board approved a similar request for the Demon Robotics Club, which has brought the district acclaim, advancing to the Mid-Atlantic Regional Championship at Lehigh University a year ago, where it finished 17th out of 49 teams. On Monday night, the board got to hear more about the club’s impact with a proposal to establish the Steven R. Lawton Demon Robotics Scholarship, which was both approved and applauded.
Assistant to the Superintendent Mark T. Tracy explained that he was approached by Bob and Robin Lawton, Steven’s parents, who wanted to fund an annual $1,000 scholarship, which would go to a junior or senior who made an outstanding contribution to the robotics team, embodied the values of the organization, and submitted an essay on what the team meant to them.
The Lawtons, who committed to five years of funding, said that seeing what the team meant to their son inspired their decision. They said after his sophomore year, he came home from a summer program at Worchester Polytechnic Institute eager to start a robotics group at Kennett. Undaunted by obstacles such as the need to raise at least $15,000, assemble a group of like-minded students, and find mentors, he succeeded in getting the club up and running, his parents said.
That kind of contagious energy pervaded the team, the Lawtons said, adding that many of the parents are as committed as their children. “We’re still involved,” Rob Lawton said, adding that he serves as a mentor.
Steven Lawton, a mechanical engineering major, just made the Dean’s List at the Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology in Indiana, and his parents said he values the discipline, ingenuity and camaraderie that the robotics team engendered. They said they enjoyed watching his growth and excitement and now hope to share that experience with other students.
