Plum property owners will not have to pay more in real estate taxes, and students will not have to miss out on educational opportunities as a result of next school year’s budget.

The Plum School Board voted 8-0 on June 29 to pass the district’s $65.7 million spending plan for 2021-22 with no tax hike or program cuts. Board member Adam Hill was absent.

Administrators were able to close a projected $600,000 gap outlined in January with staffing adjustments, retirements and drawing from an estimated $3.6 million in federal stimulus funds.

Uses of those funds include the district’s summer credit recovery program and other initiatives geared toward improving students’ grades and addressing academic struggles brought on by the pandemic and remote learning.

Board President Mike Devine commended outgoing Business Manager John Zahorchak for his efforts in putting together a budget that balances both students’ and stakeholders’ interests.

“John worked hard to make sure everything aligned,” Devine said. “Any time we can move the budget forward with no cuts and no tax increase, that’s a win for the district. That’s a win for the community. It’s unfortunately not always that way, but this year it was and hopefully next year it’s the same way again.”

Zahorchak was not at the meeting. He will be leaving the district within the next few weeks to take a finance job in another community.

The board hired Freeport Area School District’s business manager, Ryan Manzer, as his replacement.

Plum was able to make significant upgrades to its high school football field and other ballfields within the past year as part of its various capital projects.

It’s an accomplishment that Joe Tommarello, board member and finance committee chair, noted came without an added expense to property owners.

“The fact that we were able to take care of many capital improvement projects this year, highlighted by the modernization of our high school athletic complex, without causing a burden on our taxpayers and by using refinanced bonds, is a win for our students and citizens,” Tommarello said.

“This is a financially sound budget that we have worked hard to put together. It’s a win-win all around.”

Projected revenues and expenditures for next year are $65.7 million.

The budget and financial presentation is available for review on the district’s website.

District officials at the start of the calendar year adopted a resolution not to raise taxes beyond the Act 1 index — a state formula that limits real estate tax hikes.

The board could have raised taxes as much as 4% under the index and generated an estimated $625,000 surplus based on financial projections at the time.

Other business items

Board members passed June’s entire agenda of more than 40 items in one sweeping motion.

“There was nothing earth-shattering in the agenda tonight,” Devine said. “We figured it’s summertime. Let’s pass it all. We didn’t feel there was going to be objections to anything. We passed everything in one fell swoop and moved on.”

The board offered the public a chance to comment on agenda and non-agenda items at the meeting, but no one came forward to speak.

Among those items was Jessica Griggle, district food services director, receiving $750 through the Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank to support the district’s summer feeding program.

The board accepted the retirements of Pivik Elementary kindergarten teacher Mary Ann Cummings and Pivik fourth grade teacher Colleen Spears.

Lori Demetrio retired as human resource secretary and Brendan Lang as a high school custodian.

Stephanie Zehr was hired as an elementary special-education teacher and Kathleen Bish as an elementary intervention/reading specialist at master’s degree Step 1 salaries of $51,900.

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