Finance director: district budget roughly on track; charter rate changes and special-education settlements expected to raise costs

Chester Upland School District finance staff told the board Jan. 16 that revenue collections are tracking close to budget but that several items could increase expenses this fiscal year, including adjustments in charter school per-pupil costs and confidential special-education settlement agreements.

Miss Gathers briefed the board on the district's treasury, payables and payroll reports. She said tax-collected revenue for the municipality, township and borough were in the range of about 93% to 97% of expectations for the first half of the fiscal year; she noted collections often slow after January and are handled through the district's delinquent-collection process if necessary.

Gathers said charter school expenses were lower than might be expected at the six-month mark because the per-student rate was not finalized until November following changes in legislation; she said the district expects an uptick in charter-related payments as rates are adjusted.

The meeting agenda included about seven grant-related items, four special-education settlement agreements and various conference attendance requests. On the settlement agreements, Gathers said the expenditures are budgeted in the special-education line but that specific settlement documents could not be attached to the public materials because they contain student-identifying information. She described the settlements as "significantly expensive," but the exact amounts were not disclosed in the public meeting materials.

When a director asked whether the district was currently running a surplus or deficit, Gathers replied the district was "pretty much on point" with the budget, though she said additional expenses tied to charter cost adjustments and settlements could affect the bottom line.

No formal vote was taken on budget-wide items during the Jan. 16 meeting.