Colonial School District approves fund transfer, new policies and several contracts; tax collector pay raised

The Colonial School District Board of School Directors at its Jan. 16 meeting approved a transfer intended to bring the district’s unassigned fund balance into alignment with the state minimum, adopted policy updates including a policy on use of generative artificial intelligence in education, approved several student tuition and service contracts, appointed district representatives to the Central Montco Technical High School Joint Operating Committee and voted to increase the tax collector’s annual compensation.

District administrators told the board that with the close of the 2023–24 fiscal year and acceptance of the audit in November, the district’s unassigned fund balance totaled $1,980,200, roughly 8.21% of the 2024–25 budget; the administration recommended a transfer from the general fund unassigned to the general fund assigned to comply with the state’s 8% unassigned fund balance minimum. The motion to approve the transfer, as presented in the meeting packet, passed unanimously.

The board approved a motion to increase compensation for Dominic Coker, identified in the meeting as the district’s tax collector for the Bureau of Hanshaw Hopkins, to $6,600 per year effective July 1, 2025, through June 30, 2029; the board noted this represents a…