At a special Whitehall-Coplay School Board meeting June 13, the board unanimously approved the final adoption of the Whitehall-Coplay School District 2022-23 general fund budget and enactment of appropriate taxes for the July 1-June 30, 2023, fiscal year.

The budget, in the amount of $90,177,713, is an increase of 7.8% from the 2021-22 fiscal year. The budget balances revenues with projected expenditures, requiring an increase of 0.6292 mill for a total real estate tax rate of 20.1709 mills.

This represents an increase of approximately $110.32 to the average residential property.

Also approved was the 2022-23 Homestead and Farmstead Exclusion Resolution that confirms the acceptance of $1,482,693.04 in total property tax reduction funds, or $222.67 for 6,659 approved homesteads/farmsteads within the district, as pursuant to Act 1 of 2006, or Taxpayer Relief Act.

Before the vote, Whitehall resident Bruce Charles urged the board to vote against the final budget, saying he felt more could be done to reduce the millage increase.

Also during public participation, the recently elected tax collector, Tina Koren, who also previously served as a school board member, expressed dismay at having been advised during a board meeting that WCSD is considering moving to Berkheimer for per capita and business privilege tax collection purposes.

“I have worked for the past five months to bring that tax office back to where it should be,” Koren said, adding she often works extra hours and weekends.

Koren said she is in daily contact with officials from the school district.

“We work hand in hand with the school district to make sure that moving permits are done so you know how many kids get on buses,” Koren said.

Koren passed around a copy of a report she does for the school district showing what the income is for each tax she collects.

“There is no possibility that any money will be missing from this office because of what I have implemented,” she said.

Koren said electronic receipts automatically generate a balance sheet, and school tax reports will be sent daily to the financial department.

Koren said she understood the board wanted to do away with per capita taxes but called them “a necessary evil” because there are many apartments in Whitehall and people are frequently moving.

“As far as business privilege, I know that’s a sore subject, too, but that’s not going to happen again. If you look at that report and look at the money that I brought in so far, last year I’m over halfway to an entire year of business privilege tax. So, I’m urging you to give me a chance, and you’ll be happy with the results,” Koren said.

Koren provided the board with an example of how a tax office clerk recently helped an elderly man with dementia figure out a tax issue he was confused about. She urged WCSB not to take customer service away from taxpayers who may need it.

Andy Roman, newly elected Whitehall Township commissioner and former WCSB member, told WCSB directors he understood their frustrations with the tax office.

“Our previous tax collector created a mess that we’re trying to clean up. Tina’s doing a fantastic job,” Roman said.

Roman said when he looked at the numbers, he found WCSB would be paying double by moving to Berkheimer, while receiving half of the service. He said, in the fine print, Berkheimer is responsible for keeping the database up to date, but it won’t track residents who are moving in and out of apartments and houses. Roman added this responsibility would fall on the school board and said it’s a lot of work.

Roman said he is working at “getting to the bottom” of the tax issues and noted taxpayers are out $79,000, and the school district lost $44,000. Roman said although this is upsetting, having Berkheimer do the job isn’t the solution. He urged the board to allow Koren a year or two to prove herself before coming to a decision.

In other business, board members approved the 2021-24 special education plan.

Board members also approved the resignations of Megan Tonno, coordinator of data information, effective June 6; Madeline Wolfe, library secretary at Whitehall-Coplay Middle School, effective June 10; and Debra Polise, eighth-grade special education inclusion teacher, as of June 14.

New appointments include Bret Legath, third-grade teacher at Steckel Elementary School, at $53,718 per year; Olivia Cuartas, third-grade teacher at Steckel Elementary, at $59,769 per year; Heather Moore, kindergarten teacher at Gockley Elementary School, at $54,631 per year; Taylor Deutsch, first-grade teacher at Gockley Elementary, at $54,631 per year; Zachary Gilbert, third-grade salaried substitute at Steckel, at $53,718 per year; Theresa Vogel, second-grade salaried substitute at Steckel, at $53,718 per year; Joseph Egan, WCMS building substitute, at $53,718 per year; and Michelle Scalleat, WCMS building salaried substitute, at $53,718 per year. These new appointments are effective at the start of the 2022-23 school year.

Other appointments include Stephen Beck, paraprofessional substitute, effective May 25, and Grace Clary, paraprofessional substitute, effective June 3.

New part-time, seasonal maintenance workers, with an hourly rate of $14 per hour, include Brielle Schrey, Brayden Marrero, Bryan Georges, Joshua Laky, Damonte Foreman and Marcus Hamscher.

Approved transfers include Paige Sommers, paraprofessional substitute to a daily teacher substitute, effective May 23; Rodina Younes, kindergarten teacher to a first-grade teacher, effective at the start of the 2022-23 school year; and Janelle Reynolds, substitute paraprofessional to a paraprofessional at WCMS, effective at the start of the 2022-23 school year.

The board approved two additional summer program staff - Man Ching Yeung, Steckel summer camp, and Deb Luff, WCMS Secondary STEM.

The next school board meetings will be 7 p.m. June 27 and July 25.