Brian Hagberg
RUSSELL, Pa. – The Warren County School District Board of Directors unanimously approved a proposed final budget during Monday’s regular meeting.
Though still a “working document,” the proposed final budget will be displayed for public inspection within all district buildings and on the district website.
WCSD 2022-23 Proposed Final Budget
Board President Paul Mangione explained why a proposed budget needed to be passed now despite it still being a work in progress.
“We passed this because it has to go on display in our buildings and things like that,” Mangione said. “There’s still changes and things like that that can be made to this document. This is a working document until its final passage.”
As it stands, the proposed budget for next year is $93,333,836, an increase of $6,897,998 over the 2021-22 budget. According to the budget document, the estimated WCSD enrollment for next year is 3,875 students, a decrease of 72 students from 2021-22.
Sick Days Added for Employees
The board also unanimously approved a Memorandum of Agreement with the Warren County Education Association and the Warren County Education Support Professionals Association to add four additional sick days to each WCSD employee’s current allotment of sick days.
The additional days were granted in response to the increased number of sick days taken due to COVID.
“This is what was arrived at in terms of giving folks more sick days to help offset and compensate for what they have gone through and sick days they’ve had to utilize during this last period of a year, year and a half,” WCSD Superintendent Amy Stewart said.
Though the MOA was made with WCEA and WCESPA, Stewart wanted to emphasize that the additional days would be granted to all district employees who receive sick days.
“I think it’s important that the board that the board’s intent is shared publicly one that they wanted to be equitable to all employees,” Stewart said. “So even though the MOU is for ESP and CEA the motion reads to all employees who receive sick days.”
