Uniontown Area approves budget, raises

Uniontown Area school directors passed a $40.04 million 2007-08 budget without a tax increase.

Directors used $2.6 million of the district's fund balance to keep taxes at 13.02 mills. Each mill yields $723,000 for the district.

The budget includes $20.8 million for instruction, $12.8 million for support services, $591,596 for non-instructional services, $4.33 million for financing and $1.5 million for federal programs.

After passing the budget, directors took out a $2.5 million tax anticipation loan from PNC Bank at an interest rate of 3.81 percent. Tax bills will be sent by Aug. 1.

Included in the budget are raises for administrators. Directors agreed to a five-year contact that will include raises of $3,500 this year, $3,000 for 2008 and 2009, and $2,500 for 2010 and 2011. The superintendent of special education will receive $7,500 in 2007 and 2008 and the same raises as other administrators for the next three years.

Directors hired the following teachers: Robert Schiffbauer, science; Tonya Cottrell, mathematics; Scott Nee, mathematics; Jericho Bozek, elementary; Raena Booker, elementary; Lisa Lish, elementary; Angela Machesky, elementary, Audra Archeck, elementary; and Celeste Fowler, elementary.

In other business, directors discontinued parking fees for students effective this fall. Uniontown police had expressed concern that students parking on roads in order to avoid the fee created a safety hazard.