Board approves budget with 1.5-mill tax increase

Members also took a preliminary vote on an anti-nepotism policy.
NEW CASTLE, Pa. -- The taxpayers of the Neshannock Area School District will see an increase in taxes next school year.
The board approved the $14,855,050 budget for the 2004-2005 school year by a 5-3 vote.
Board President Frank Rondinelli and members Richard Canciello and Tracy Stevenson voted against the budget, which will mean a 1.5-mill tax increase next year.
Members Joseph Gierlach, Mary Jo Coyne, Cheryl Kimmel, Dr. John Dietz and Jay Vitale voted in favor of the measure. Board member James Kearney was not present.
Superintendent Dr. Michael Hink said 1 mill would generate about $592,000 in tax revenue. The district's millage is currently 11.2 mills.
A preliminary vote was taken to adopt an anti-nepotism policy, to avoid any public suspicion that an employee was hired on the basis of relationship rather than merit.
Under the policy, the district would not hire any relative of a school board member, administrator or professional staff member.
The policy defines relatives as parents, parents-in-law, children, spouses, brothers, sisters, grandparents, grandchildren, brothers-in-law, sisters-in-law, sons-in-law, daughters-in-law, nieces, nephews, uncles and aunts.
Opposed to policy
Dietz, Vitale and Kimmel voted against the policy.
Dietz stated he does not think professional staff members, defined as part-time and full-time instructional staff, should be included in the policy.
"This is a large group of people, and we may be overlooking a valuable candidate if we do not allow relatives of our teachers to be employed by the district," Dietz told the board.
He also noted that the teaching staff is not involved in the hiring process.
The final adoption of the policy will take place at the July monthly meeting.
The board also adopted a preliminary policy for parent booster support organizations.
Hink said the district originally had one all-sports booster organization.
The new policy will permit each sports organization to form its own booster group.
In other business, the board hired Michael Damon as a Spanish teacher at a Step I salary of $37,700. Damon is a graduate of Union High School and Geneva College.
It also accepted the retirement of learning support teacher Michael Fisher.