Keystone Central moves ahead with school safety measures

BALD EAGLE TOWNSHIP, PA – The Keystone Central School District is looking to install vape sensors in secondary school restrooms, part of the district’s effort to enhance student safety in those buildings.

Superintendent Jacquelyn Martin provided an update on the plans to purchase 50 “Smart Sensor and Camera” from NRG Controls North, Inc. of Selinsgrove. The superintendent provided information at the board’s work session Thursday night, with the expectation the purchase, for $251,176 will receive board approval at its May 11 voting session.

Dr. Martin said the sensors will be installed in restrooms at Central Mountain and Bucktail High Schools and Central Mountain Middle School. She said the small devices can provide occupancy counts, detect vape use, illegal substances and can pick up “key words” to alert staff to respond.

The board’s Safety and Security Committee had discussed the matter at its April 27 meeting and gave its recommendation to purchase the units. According to information at that meeting, Central Mountain High School is already using the system as a pilot project, and it has already helped lower the number of student incidents.

Superintendent Martin also, in response to an earlier request from the board finance committee, presented a compilation of reasons the administration is recommending a 3.83 percent hike in the district’s real estate levy. The board is to vote at its May 11 meeting on a proposed new fiscal year budget amounting to over $89 million.

The superintendent said the list was prepared by her and district business manager Joni MacIntyre. It reads:

“Joni MacIntyre and I have been asked by the Finance Committee to provide some additional information to all of you about the Financial Picture for next year and the complexities that contribute to these projections.

“The committee wants our community to know that we constantly strive to find efficiencies and decreases in spending.  Our budgeting procedures that focus on “need” rather than a fixed amount for line items or annual allotments.  Through the bidding process we analyzed the staff requests versus need and the current inventory before ordering additional supplies.  We have also been able to minimize surprise expenditures through advanced planning on a cycle for things such as curriculum resources, classroom furniture and uniform replacements.

“Through position control measures, we are seeking ways to reduce or repurpose staffing to meet current needs from year to year. Over the past 30 years, public education has increasingly assumed roles associated with public services for students.  We provide a wide range of services to our students through certified professional staff members such as crisis counselors, social workers, behavior specialists, school psychologists, security and school police officers.  The need for specialized staff has been evident for several years.  Programs for students after school and in the summer have also been added to support our students.   Food insecurity in our district became even more apparent over the past few years.  Through our Breakfast and Lunch Programs there are no costs for students.

“With regards to personnel, there have been some decreased costs realized with the most recent negotiations and contract settlements. Savings have been realized with increased co-pay rates and spousal exclusion stipulations for new employees. These changes help to offset the increased cost of healthcare coverage we see each year.   We are constantly monitoring class sizes and seeking realistic reductions in staffing that will not have a negative impact on learning.

“Budget Expenditures are directly impacted by costs. Adding new programs in our Career and Technical Center (such as Education and Homeland Security) are essential to address worker shortages, community needs and the local workforce, however, adding programs adds costs.

“Our school board and administration has committed to adding additional student and staffing and safety equipment to address the community needs…there are significant costs to these decisions.

“Inflation is having a significant impact on our district for operational costs such as supplies, electricity, gas, water, facility projects and maintenance.  Recent energy savings projects by KCSD have been exceeding the guaranteed savings we were promised across the 8 buildings where upgrades were done in 2020.  Last year alone we saved almost $200,000 in measured savings which was $40,000 more than expected.  We have identified over $60M in facility needs to be realized over the next ten years. We are using and seeking state and federal grant dollars for these projects.  Some of the grants require matching funds.  This budget proposal includes over $2.2M in grant matches from local sources to complete $18M worth of projects.

“Our District Revenues have been increasing due to tax collection efforts and investment strategies.  Some additional dollars have been provided to our district through the most recent State Level Up Funding Formula.  Federal dollars (outside of grant monies) have remained relatively stagnant. As a disadvantaged, rural district, we are experiencing the same discrimination that was found to be unconstitutional with the most recent legal case on PA School Funding.  In that lawsuit, the judge ruled that “the Commonwealth must provide an equitable distribution of state resources.”  While this work has begun, we will not likely see any results in the next two years.

“School budgets are complex and involve a lot of moving parts.  Next year’s budget is over $6M higher than last year, but we have planned effectively to balance the budget by asking for only a partial tax increase that will generate less than $1M in additional revenue.

“We do not believe that any single expenditure is contributing to the need for a tax increase, but rather a compilation of several factors. It is our responsibility to pass a respectful and balanced budget while meeting the needs of our students.”

A majority of board members present at the last April meeting had indicated they would support a tax increase for the next fiscal year. Board members Butch Knauff and Wayne Koch were absent from Thursday’s meeting.