Representatives from five of those school districts – administrators and school board members – discussed strategies to oppose what are seen as cuts in the state education subsidies.

Organized by Clarion-Limestone school board president Bob Sawyer, the group met March 6 in the Clarion Area High School library. No one from North Clarion or Union attended.

Gov. Ed Rendell’s budget proposal would increase basic education subsidies to by 1.5 percent for Keystone, North Clarion, Redbank and Union , 1.65 percent for A-C Valley , 1.91 percent for C-L and 1.99 percent for Clarion Area.

While the absolute numbers are increases, the budget proposal is actually a cut in funding when considering the rate of inflation.

Only Karns City School District , which includes East Brady Borough in Clarion County but is considered a Butler County school district, would receive more than a 2 percent increase, and not by much: 2.86 percent.

Unfair formula

The subsidies are based on a formula adopted to make such subsidy decisions fairer, noted Clarion Area superintendent George White, and the Pennsylvania Association of Rural and Small Schools (PARSS), worked to have a formula, rather than political maneuvering, determine the subsidies for the state’s 501 school districts.

But the end result of the formula method is believed to be unfair by the local districts, and White said it was important though difficult to determine what parts of the formula are unfair.

Sawyer said one problem was the part of the formula that reduces the subsidy for areas like Clarion County where the cost of living is relatively low.

Another problem was the effect of having a balanced budget. C-L used its financial reserves to balance its budget, and Sawyer said that was a mistake, but one made for a good reason.

“When you do that, it will catch up with you, and it comes up real quick,” he said.

Clarion Area board member Eric Funk said all school districts have difficulty in meeting their budgets, and the group should focus on the parts of the formula that are unfair and can perhaps be legally challenged.

Rural discrimination

Keystone board vice-president Tiki Kahle showed a map of the state with the counties where increases were above 9 percent and noted most were in the south east, and the south west.

C-L board member Gene Smith said he thought the map showed discrimination against rural areas.

“Our kids have been short-changed for a long time,” Smith said. “I want our kids to have the same chance as kids in other districts. A great disservice has been done to the kids of Western Pennsylvania .”

Kahle said the rural character of local school districts means board members and administrators have more direct interaction with students.

“In small districts, we see the kids’ faces every day,” she said, adding that she has personally spoken with every student in the Keystone Class of 2008.

“We’re a unique bunch up here in the rural counties,” Kahle said. “Perhaps we should get other districts in rural areas to join the effort.”

White noted that Funk is involved in the campaign to stop the tolling of Interstate 80. “It’s really the same battle.”

Punished for success

Kahle also noted that Keystone and most other local school districts met the state’s standard for making “Adequate Yearly Progress,” based on student achievements test scores, attendance and graduation rates.

“We’re being punished for making the AYP,” Kahle said.

She said she was concerned about what programs Keystone might be forced to cut. It cost her district $109,000 to send students to the Clarion County Career Center , and if funding is reduced, “how do we decide who goes and who doesn’t? We’re not putting in fitness centers, this is about basic education.”

“It would break my heart to not continue all-day Kindergarten,” she added.

White said the formula provided more funding for schools with higher number students in English-as-a-second-language classes, and local districts have few such students.

Keystone board treasurer Marilyn Stempeck said the formula seemed sound “before the politicians tweaked it (added weighting factors). Perhaps the problem is in the tweaking.”

An A-C Valley board member said his district could raise taxes to the “index” – the maximum allowable without a voter referendum under Act 1, the state law adopted last year as supposed property tax reform – and still see a budget shortfall.

“They slap us with Act 1, then they slap us with this,” Sawyer said. “Now I’m waiting for the third punch.”

Sawyer said C-L has increased property taxes by an average of only 1.5 mills per year for more than 10 years, and for some of those years, a mill brought in only $30,000.

“Being prudent and making AYP seems to have been our death knell,” he said.

First effort

Kahle volunteered to take input from other districts and use it to draft a letter to be sent to the Governor, state education administrators and key legislators.

The letter would use a personal approach, but attached would be local economic data, district financial statistics, effects on educational programs and apparent problems with the subsidy formula.

The draft would be circulated to school boards for review and approval.

Keystone business manager Vern Lauffer asked that such information be emailed to him and he would compile it.

Sawyer said he would “handle the mailing,” developing a list of officials to send the letter to and their addresses.

Kahle said the effort should not stop with the letter. “Once we do the initial campaign, we must continue with follow ups.”

Kahle said Keystone board embers and administrators took a bus to Harrisburg , and took many students along as well, and the district is working the issue into the high school curriculum

Stempeck said students are discussing the matter and “taking the conversations back to their parents, and making them aware.

As taxpayers, many district parents are independently contacting legislators and officials, Stempeck added.

Smith said the group should contact other districts with low subsidies to bring them into the effort, and White suggested the group work through Riverview and other intermediate units.

Sawyer said the group should carry out the initial effort first, and then consider branching out and involving others.

In any case, Sawyer said the effort could be long term. “If we must swallow this this year, we should continue the effort next year,” he said.