CHRIS MORELLI cmorelli@lockhaven.com
MILL HALL The Keystone Central school board got an in-depth look at the proposed 2021-22 budget during Thursday night’s voting session.
KCSD superintendent Jacquelyn Martin and business manager Susan Blesh made the presentation. The budget features zero tax increase. The proposed final budget adoption will take place at the voting session on Thursday, May 13 with final budget adoption scheduled for the voting session on Thursday, June 17.
“We thought we were close to closing the budget gap … we’ve been able to do that,” Martin told the board.
The tentative budget for 2021-22 features expenses at $82,987,797 and revenue at $77,722,918. ESSER grant funds are $5,264,879. There would be no shortfall and no use of budget reserves. There would be $15,599,731 in reserves remaining.
CHRIS MORELLI cmorelli@lockhaven.com
MILL HALL In a year that has been anything but normal, the Keystone Central school board heard some good news at Thursday night’s work session.
KCSD superintendent Jacquelyn Martin said that the district will receive millions of dollars in federal stimulus funding. Earlier this week, it was announced that Pennsylvania schools would get nearly $5 billion from the federal COVID-19 aid package. According to the Department of Education’s website, KCSD is expected to receive $10,677,162.
“(We) are continuing to look at how we believe we can best effectively use this one-time stimulus money,” Martin explained. “We’ve been attending seminars and presentations, making sure that we have the best information. I’ve been collaborating with other superintendents on how they plan to strategically use these funds.”
CHRIS MORELLI cmorelli@lockhaven.com
MILL HALL All Central Mountain High School students will return to the classrooms beginning on Tuesday, Feb. 16.
The announcement came at Thursday night’s meeting of the Keystone Central School Board.
The district had been employing “cohort schedules” for the past several weeks. The cohort schedules featured students A through L (cohort 1) attending class in person on Monday and Tuesday, while Wednesday and Friday were remote. Students M through Z (cohort 2) were remote Monday through Wednesday and in person on Thursday and Friday.
“Late (Thursday) afternoon, it was confirmed that Central Mountain High School will be able to bring all students back next week, starting on Tuesday, as we have no school Monday (Feb. 15),” Superintendent Jacquelyn Martin said. “I believe that communications went out to families and staff.”
CHRIS MORELLI cmorelli@lockhaven.com
MILL HALL The Keystone Central School District will receive $4.8 million in federal stimulus money, superintendent Jacquelyn Martin announced during this week’s school board voting meeting, which was held via Zoom.
“This equates to four times the amount that we had previously received,” Martin noted, “and we have two years to utilize these funds to assist us with costs associated with pandemic. We will be planning very carefully with the finance committee of the board to ensure that we use these funds most effectively.”
Martin said that the district needs to proceed carefully when it comes to spending the stimulus money.
CHRIS MORELLI cmorelli@lockhaven.com
MILL HALL Even though the district will remain in remote learning for the rest of the year and into 2021, the Keystone Central School District will continue to feed children in the KCSD community free of charge.
Seven breakfasts and seven lunches will be bundled for weekly pickup.
The meals are available for any child between the ages of 1 and 18. The funding for the meals is provided by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
“The KCSD Food and Nutrition Services department has distributed 100,258 meals to families since Nov. 2. The meals are available to all families within KCSD community with children ranging from age 1 to 18, whether or not these children attend KCSD schools,” said KCSD business manager Susan Blesh.