Salisbury Middle School Principal Ken Parliman presented the operations committee of the Salisbury Township School District with a proposal for new furniture for a double room at the school in need of a flexible learning space at the Jan. 4 meeting.

Room 102/104 is used for presentations and classroom space,

The proposed furniture has desks on wheels with storage space, tables with white board dividers and easels which hold white boards. Standing desks are also part of the proposal.

Parliman said the leadership team visited Pequea Valley School District, in Kinzers, Lancaster County, currently using the furniture, visited the vendor and used the furniture at the middle school for two months to get teacher and student feedback.

Parliman said students commented the chairs were comfortable and they liked the ability to move the chairs easily. The furniture is under warranty for between three and 12 years, depending on the furniture purchased.

The cost to outfit the room is approximately $40,000. The cost would be covered by $22,516 in change orders from the Harry S Truman Elementary School roof replacement and the SMS locker replacement. The remaining money would be taken from the capital expenditures account.

The board agreed to purchase furniture for the one room as a test.

“I think it is something we need to do because our furniture is getting really old,” board president Frank Frankenfield said.

Director of Maintenance, Buildings and Grounds Willliam Brackett updated the committee on the HVAC system renovation proposed for Harry S Truman Elementary School. Brackett said he is still working to get the price lower. Currently, the cost to replace the HVAC system with chiller is estimated to be $4,563,650. The HVAC system was not included in the approved projects for which the board borrowed money recently.

Brackett also provided an update on approved capital improvement projects scheduled for summer. A mandatory pre-bid meeting will be held Jan. 13, bids will be received Feb. 4 and the board is expected to approve the bids at the Feb. 10 meeting. Summer projects included the replacement of sidewalks and curbing at Western Salisbury Elementary School, HST and the administration building, the replacement of two kitchen grease traps at SMS, the renovation of restrooms at WSE, the driveway and parking lot repavement project at all five district buildings and new teacher furniture at all four schools. The total estimated cost of these projects is $2,265,410.

Business Administrator Robert Bruchak provided an update on the preliminary 2016-2017 budget.

Bruchak reiterated although the district is required to hold to the state required budget submission deadlines, no state budget has been approved which makes it very difficult to estimate revenue from the state for Salisbury’s budget.

The projected revenues to the district for next year are $34,430,591. The projected expenses are $35,529,597 showing a difference of $1,098,988.

Bruchak said the challenges in expenditures include the increase in contributions to the Public School Employee’s Retirement System, charter and cyber charter school costs, health care costs, transportation costs, special education and capital improvement plan needs.

In 2014-2015 the district transported students to 47 different schools; this year, the district is transporting to 43 schools.

The current PSERS rate is 25.84 percent; the rate is expected to increase to 30.03 percent which would be an increase to the district of approximately $50,000.

Health insurance is expected to increase by 1.5 percent.

Bruchak said unresolved factors influencing the final budget include local, state and federal revenues, retirements, tax assessment appeals, special education services provided by the Carbon Lehigh Intermediate Unit and charter school enrollments.

Superintendent Dr. Randy Ziegenfuss said the administration team will look to see where they can cut expenses.

In other business, school board member Susan M. Lea asked about a recent article in the news about retired Lehigh County judge Robert Young challenging the nonprofit status of Lehigh Valley Health Network. “Would it be in our interest to be part of the challenge,” Lea asked.

Bruchak said if the hospital paid taxes, the district would see an estimated $4 million. Currently the hospital gives the district approximately $139,000.

Lea said WSE asked the hospital to provide a staff member to give a presentation to the fifth grade students. The hospital said they did not have anyone available to provide the talk. Lea said the PTA now has to shoulder the cost of finding someone to make the presentation.

Board member Carol Klinger asked about the recent whooping cough outbreak in the district; she asked if the affected students had been immunized. Ziegenfuss said according to the solicitor, he was unable to answer due to privacy rights.

Ziegenfuss did share the Pennsylvania Department of Health said the vaccine is 80 percent effective and outbreaks are not uncommon.