Schools

Seneca Valley Rejects Butler County Vo-Tech Budget

The vo-tech school is proposing a $4.29 million budget for the 2012-13 school year.

In a 6-2 vote, Seneca Valley officials rejected a $4.29 million budget proposal from the Butler County Area Vocational Technical School for the 2012-13 school year.

Seneca Valley is one of seven districts from around the area associated with the career and technical school, which serves Butler County. The other districts are Butler Area, Karns City Area, Mars Area, Moniteau, Slippery Rock Area and South Butler County.

Based on student enrollment, each district pays an annual contribution to fund the school. Seneca Valley students make up about 13 percent of the vo-tech’s population, according to district officials.  

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This year, the vo-tech proposed Seneca Valley contribute $432,968 to the 2012-13 operating budget.

Although he voted in favor of approving the vo-tech’s budget, Seneca Valley school board member Eric DiTullio—who is a member of the vo-tech's joint operating committee—said he wished Dr. Joseph Cunningham, the vo-tech’s administrative director, had looked harder at reducing the budget, including cutting programs with low enrollment.  

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Cunningham, who gave a budget presentation to Seneca Valley officials on Monday, noted it was difficult to predict which classes would be less popular next year because the vo-tech school doesn’t get enrollment figures for next year’s courses until May.

Several board members also expressed concern Cunningham was too liberal with his margin of error in the vo-tech budget. Overpayments to the vo-tech are returned to the schools that contributed it. Lynn Burtner, Seneca Valley’s business manager, said the district has received refunds of between $35,000 to $40,000 annually from the vo-tech school in recent years.

School board president Bob Hill said he would prefer more precise calculations from the vo-tech school because Seneca Valley officials ——are working with tight numbers.

For the vo-tech budget to be approved, a majority of the 63 board members among the seven member districts must green light the budget. On Monday, Cunningham said five of the seven school districts already have approved the vo-tech budget. He plans to give his budget presentation to the Butler school district on Wednesday.

Votes from the member schools regarding the vo-tech budget will be tabulated Thursday, he said.   


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