Vernon Township officials flag budget uncertainty, seek contingency planning and release solar PPA RFP

District leaders and a public commenter at the Feb. 13 Vernon Township Board of Education meeting urged contingency budgeting amid uncertainty about federal and state aid and discussed energy cost pressures that prompted a solar power purchase agreement (PPA) request for proposal.

Why it matters: the district’s revenue outlook — including possible reductions in federal Title I funding and rising energy costs — could affect staffing, programming and the tax levy when the budget is set.

Public comment and enrollment

Resident Martin Carriger told the board the district’s opening-year enrollment appears to be about 100 students higher than last year and urged the board to prepare a "Plan A and a Plan B" for the budget in case federal funding is reduced. "I would like to suggest that we make a plan b because it appears to me that we might lose a portion or all of the federal funds," Carriger said during the public-comment period.

Budget outlook and federal aid

Superintendent Russ Rogers and finance committee members said state aid numbers arrive after the governor's annual budget speech; the county advised budgeting Title I at 75% of current levels as a conservative approach. Finance staff said the district typically budgets Title I at about 85%; the transcript indicates Title I funding in the neighborhood of $300,000 for the district, meaning a substantial cut would be material to programs funded by that source.

Energy and solar PPA

District officials released an RFP seeking a solar PPA focused on the high school, which is a fully electric building and described as a major driver of district electricity costs. The administration said the district's roofs are not currently in a state to host rooftop solar and the most economical option may be ground-mounted arrays; that would require a variance from a municipal ordinance. Under a PPA the vendor would build and maintain the system and the district would pay a contracted cent-per-kilowatt price over a multi-year term.

Other budget items

Finance staff reported ongoing work finalizing the position-control roster (a district-wide list of positions, salaries and benefit charges), auditing expense-account allocations and reviewing food-service contract options. The committee recommended issuing an RFP that would allow cost-reimbursement arrangements for food-service management to attract more bidders. Principals have submitted building-level budget requests and the district will revise as state aid and other revenue figures become final.

Operational notes

Officials warned of expected energy supply increases and suggested the district could face an estimated 20% increase in energy costs in June unless a PPA or other mitigation is arranged. The district has been discussing conversion to natural gas, but conversations with the utility (Elizabethtown Gas) were described as slow; pipeline capacity and timing remain uncertain.

No budget cuts or staffing reductions were adopted at the Feb. 13 meeting; committee members scheduled further finance discussion for March after state-aid figures are released.