C-K School Board Approves Tax Hike

The Claysburg-Kimmel School District Board of Directors approved a property tax hike of 7.7% for the 2024-25 school year.

This increase represents the maximum allowed under the Act 1 Index. The increase represents approximately $80/year to the average homeowner and will generate about $321,740 in revenue.

Greenfield Township will have a 9.76 millage rate while Kimmel Township will be at a 11.71 millage rate.

The board also approved the General Fund Budget of $14.7 million. The budget still represents a deficit of $362,196 with approximate revenue of $14,289,667 and expenditures of $14,651,667.

The revenue does not include any state funding as the state budget has not yet been established for the upcoming school year.

There is $100,000 in budgetary reserves. The State House has approved the budget but has not stated where the increase in school funding will come from, so the budget will have a difficult time in the Republican controlled Senate.

The budget passed by a 4-3 margin of the board with members Amy Claar-Gill, Richard Gergley, Roger Knisely and Jeremy Knott voting in favor of accepting the budget while members Mandi Daugherty, Mona Eckley, and Daniel Potter opposed the budget. Board members Joseph Musselman and Heidi Kennedy were not in attendance for the meeting.

Superintendent Brian Helsel did say that the district would be receiving around $17,000 less in Title 1 funding for the next school year.

House Bill 2370 is the Governor’s attempt to push more revenue through to education. The state is looking at getting tougher on Cyber school costs going forward.

Helsel also announced that Certified Athletic Trainer(CAT) Zach Johnson has left the district for Arizona. The district has a contract through Crossroads for an Athletic Trainer but currently there is no leads for a new CAT which must have a four year degree in Athletic Training and would start at $52,000.

All contact sports must have a CAT present , while non contact sports may have an Emergency Medical Technician or nurse present.

The Career and Technology Center is short six or seven teaching positions and want to do some building construction.

The resignation of Ross Helsel as head varsity baseball coach was accepted as was the hiring of Mason Replogle as head varsity wrestling coach for the 2024/25 school year.

Michelle Guyer was approved as the Director of Technology and Kyle Glass as Assistant Director of Technology.

Lori Ickes was approved to be transferred to the Guidance/Administrative secretary position effective July 1, 2024.

The resignation of Jim Clancy from the special education teacher position was accepted by the board. The Beard Legal Group was unanimously approved as solicitor for the district for the 2024/25 school year.

Game helper rates were also approved for the upcoming year. The 2024 Homestead and Farmstead Exclusion Resolution was approved as was the agreement for a technology director and assistant technology director effective July 1, 2024 to June 30, 2027. There will be no July meeting of the board.