Five Financial Facts From Monday’s East Penn Board Meeting

The met last night. Here's what you need to know about what they talked about:

• Superintendent of Schools Thomas L. Seidenberger told the board that he received a letter from Pennsylvania Department of Education saying that the school district is eligible for $933,698 in Act 1 exceptions. “That would be the total that we would be eligible to use,” Seidenberger said. “In essence, that is our new index.” The administration may hand out budget books at the next board meeting, Seidenberger added.
• Board President Charles Ballard told the board that the time had come for them to request any changes to the traditional format of the school district’s “budget book” and gave the members of the board until the end of the week to submit budget feedback to Seidenberger’s office. “We need to get some direction to Dr. Seidenberger on the budget book,” Ballard said. “They have sketchy information and very little time, and we need to give them the direction they need to get the book together to us.”
• The board approved its annual contribution to Lehigh Carbon Community College. School Director Alan Earnshaw called LCCC “truly one of the educational gems in our community.”  Fellow School Board Member Sandy Rhodes, who earned his teaching certification at LCCC, echoed Earnshaw’s praise for the LCCC, adding that he most appreciates the way LCCC serves older students and people who are looking to change careers. “(When I was a student there,) I found the best educator I have ever encountered,” he said. “I have never found a better teacher anywhere. The staff is wonderful. I am just a big fan.”
• On the recommendation of Board Member Rebecca Heid, the board also approved Lehigh Career & Technical School, Carbon Lehigh Intermediate Unit 21 budgets for 2012-13.
• Board member Kenneth Bacher led the board’s charge for prevailing wage reform, presenting a resolution directing Ballard to send letters to state legislators in Harrisburg, advocating prevailing wage reform measure, House Bill 1329. HB 1329 doesn’t eliminate the prevailing wage, Bacher explained, it raises the size of the project for which a school district needs to consider prevailing wage from $25,000 to $180,000. “It would be a way to save districts money, and give them more flexibility in construction and renovation projects,” he said. The board approved the measure 9-0.