Rocket Report

A: While we do plan ahead where possible, creating a full 5-year budget would likely result in misleading or unstable projections because many of the district’s largest revenue sources are unpredictable.

State funding can fluctuate significantly from year to year based on changes in legislation, state priorities, or the overall economy. Federal grants, such as Title I funds, are often approved one year at a time, and beyond the 2025-26 school year, we have no guarantees of what those allocations will be. Local tax revenue also varies due to changes in property values, housing developments, and local business activity.

Some might wonder if we could just “average” past years' revenue to estimate future income, but that approach can be risky and misleading. Past averages don’t reflect future realities and could result in overestimating funds that never materialize. This would lead to budgeting decisions the district couldn’t sustain, potentially impacting programs, staffing, and services.

That said, there are areas where we do build reliable multi-year projections:

• Salaries and Benefits: We forecast based on current contracts. However, with our current teacher contract expiring on August 1, 2025, we won’t project beyond that date until negotiations are complete and a new agreement is in place.

• Debt Service: We have a fixed repayment schedule for major projects like the new high school, stadium, and middle school renovations.

• Capital Projects: The District maintains a 10-year Capital Projects Plan, which is reviewed and updated annually. The Board also conducts a yearly facility tour to help prioritize and approve spending.

So while we can’t create a complete 5-year budget, SGASD remains committed to responsible financial planning based on known factors and realistic projections.

A: Yes. Beginning with the May 19, 2025, Regular Voting Meeting, all SGASD School Board livestreams will be recorded and made available to the public. This change comes in response to requests from both Board members and community members who want greater access to the decision-making process—even if they cannot attend meetings in person.

To streamline access, individual livestream links will no longer appear within each meeting agenda. Instead, all livestreams and their corresponding recordings will be available on the SGASD YouTube channel's SGASD School Board Meeting playlist.

This step was approved by the Board as part of its ongoing effort to improve transparency and accessibility, and will be formally proposed as a revision to Policy #006 in an upcoming meeting.

A: Official minutes are the legally recognized written records of School Board meetings. They detail key information such as the date, time, location, attendees, agenda items discussed, actions taken, and the outcomes of any votes. These minutes serve as the formal and permanent documentation of the Board's decisions and proceedings.

Minutes are not released immediately because they must first be reviewed and approved by the Board to ensure their accuracy. In SGASD, draft minutes are added as an action item at the next Regular Voting Meeting, which typically occurs once a month. Until the Board formally approves them through a public vote, they are considered drafts and are not part of the official public record. For this reason, they are not released to the public until they are approved. Once formally approved by the School Board, meeting minutes are posted to the District website and made publicly accessible as soon as possible.

This process aligns with Pennsylvania's Sunshine Act, which mandates transparency in public meetings, and ensures that the official record accurately reflects the Board's actions.

A: Yes. While the music teacher who resigned also served as marching band director, these are separate roles. The marching band director position will be filled.

A: No. A PE teacher did resign, but we will ensure New Salem continues to have a full-time PE teacher.

Some suggestions we’ve heard regarding a future maintenance facility have included using the ESC (Educational Service Center) or the old Jackson Street building. On the surface, these ideas might seem practical, but unfortunately, neither is a real solution.

• Why not the ESC?
  • The ESC is simply not suited for maintenance operations. Converting it would require major renovations, including structural changes, HVAC and exhaust systems, and code upgrades, just to meet basic safety and functionality standards. It would cost more to retrofit the ESC than to build a proper facility, and it still wouldn’t serve our needs well.

• What about the Jackson Street building?
  • That location was always a temporary solution. It lacks the access, layout, and efficiency needed for our maintenance team. Like the ESC, bringing it up to standard would require extensive work, and even then, it wouldn’t solve the long-term need for a multipurpose, stand-alone facility.

In both cases, reusing outdated or poorly suited buildings would not only cost more in the end but would result in long-term inefficiencies that hinder our ability to serve students and maintain facilities safely and effectively.