Board of Education Meeting - Special Meeting

The Moon Area Board of Education held a special meeting on June 30, 2015, called to order by the Vice President, with all 8 directors present and a secretary present. A public commenter argued that diverting funds away from the Moon Transportation Authority (MTA) would violate a long-standing agreement and urged the board to table the motion pending a solicitor's opinion.

The board rejected a director's motion to keep all 5 elementary schools open as K-4 neighborhood schools for 2015-2016, voting against it 6-2 with 2 directors in favor. The board then approved the final 2015-2016 General Fund Budget, with a projected ending fund balance of $4,629,096. Discussion turned heated as 2 directors pressed administrators for details on alleged cost cuts and a jump in facility rental fee revenue from 20,000 to 150,000. An administrator declined to discuss the rental figures except in executive session; the board voted to call the question and denied a director's motion to enter executive session, 6-2.

The board approved the final tax levy with no real estate tax increase, holding the rate at 18.8461 mills, with all other tax rates unchanged except for 1 director, who abstained. On fund balance, the board initially voted to assign funds for potential MTA diversions, but after a director's tabling motion failed, the board recessed briefly. Upon reconvening, it approved the 1,748,124 assignment for PSERS cost increases and separately approved the 534,000 MTA diversion assignment, with 2 directors voting against both. The meeting adjourned at 5:27 pm.