May 21, 2021 2 min read

Charleroi Area School Board approved a preliminary budget Tuesday of $26,234,455, with no tax increase.

The district’s business manager, Joe Gudac, said this is the first in five years that the district didn’t increase taxes.

“The school board that’s in place now has been very proactive and fiscally responsible in the last couple years,” Gudac said. “They’ve put the district in a position where we’re able to do this now, even in a very hectic time with the pandemic.”

Helping balance the budget this year were Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) grants. Gudac said there were two rounds of ESSER funding to assist districts with COVID-19 relief. The district is using this third round of ESSER money, $488,777, for this year’s budget.

The money will be used for “items that may be ongoing expenses after the pandemic has run its course,” Gudac said.

It will pay for new positions, including a Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Mathematics teacher at the elementary level and a new full-time cyberteacher and coordinator. Gudac said having an in-district cyber teacher and program is “more beneficial than the cyberschools out there.”

“Those students will be able to participate in more local events with their peers, and they can graduate with a Charleroi diploma,” he said.

The district will also use the ESSER money to hire a new director of pupil services to oversee special education and mental health and recovery post-pandemic. Remaining ESSER funds will be used for general supplies like cleaning products and personal protection equipment.

The preliminary budget will be available to the public for review in the district’s administration office from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Thursday. It is expected to be adopted with a final vote from the board during a June 22 meeting.