KCSB gives final approval to another no-tax-hike budget; support union members get pay hike
BALD EAGLE TOWNSHIP, PA – With little comment other than a unanimous “yes” vote from its eight present members, the Keystone Central School Board Thursday night gave final approval to an $82.467 million budget for the fiscal year beginning July 1. The document had been first announced in March and formally unveiled at the board’s April meeting; it keeps all levels of taxes unchanged in the 2022-23 fiscal year. As noted earlier, the amount is almost half a million dollars less than the current year.
Board member Butch Knauff lauded the district administration for crafting the new fiscal year ledger without a tax hike, noting two nearby districts increased their real estate tax levy; fellow board member Jeff Johnston said the administration did “a great job.” Superintendent Dr. Jacquelyn Martin thanked the board and district staff for their support. It was noted the budget was done without touching the district’s fund balance.
The voting session was a brief one, lasting 20 minutes. Among approvals given by the board was a memorandum of understanding between the district and the Keystone Central Education Support Professionals Association. It hikes the pay for those affected, effective July 1, as part of a change to the current 4-year contract running from 2020 through the 2024 fiscal year.
Per the memorandum, the two sides agree to new starting hourly wages, ranging from $13 for warehouse employees to $18.50 for LPNs. Additionally current employees represented by that bargaining unit was see their hourly wages adjusted as of July 1, equal to the changes made to the starting salaries. As an example, according to the MOU, the change to the maintenance/groundskeeper starting hourly wage is $1.50 more; therefore, all maintenance/groundskeepers will have a wage adjustment of $1.50 an hour, effective July 1.
Other job slots with the increase are food service, head cook, custodian and building assistants, mechanical maintenance; maintenance/groundskeeper, distribution clerk/utility worker, inventory clerk/utility worker; teacher associate, Title I assistant, Pre-K associate, computer technology associate, PCA; occupational therapists (the latter carries an annual salary of $30,000 to start, the others on hourly rates).
Per the MOU, for the 2023-24 school year (the final year of the pact) there will be no changes to the starting hourly wages, but then-current employees will have their wages increased by 3%.
