The Salisbury Township board of directors held a regular school board meeting May 15 where the proposed final budget, a fuel bid as well as new personnel and a retirement were among the agenda items calling for board approval.

After approving previous meeting minutes, the payment of bills and the treasurer’s report, Director Thomas Spinner, chair of the operations committee, brought a motion to the floor to approve Director Laura McKelvey as the school board treasurer for a one-year term July 1 through June 30, 2025. No vote was taken as there were no other nominations to serve as treasurer.

The board went on to approve a fuel bid negotiated through the Keystone Purchasing Consortium and a school per capita tax in the amount of $15.

The next item on the agenda was the 2024-2025 proposed final budget in the amount of $46,255,898.51 requiring a tax levy of 23.9 mills and a tax increase of 5.3%.

In advance of the vote McKelvey said she would be casting a dissenting vote and explained that while she has no problem with a 5.3% increase or the addition of new positions her concern is the way in which the district is paying for them which is the “reliance on interest as a form of recurring revenue.”

Also before the vote, district Superintendent Lynn Fuini-Hetten clarified the five new positions included in the budget as two elementary positions, a nurse, a facilities/maintenance position and increasing an English as a Second Language position from part-time to full-time.

In an effort to be transparent, she noted that while they are still evaluating current and projected special education needs for next year and based on the early intervention data coming in, it may become necessary to reallocate one of the two elementary positions to a new special education class which would not bring the realized reduction in class size teachers and administrators were hoping for.

A roll-call vote was taken and the proposed final budget passed 7-2 with Spinner and McKelvey dissenting.

During the personnel committee portion of the meeting, the board approved the retirement of full-time administrative assistant Cheryl Pennella.

Approved new hires to the district include part-time health/physical education teacher Taylor Fite, full-time special education teacher Carly Buccigrossi and junior varsity girls volleyball coach Kendal Turk.

The board went on to approve an agreement with the Carbon Lehigh Intermediate Unit for Discovery Education streaming services and Transperfect Remote Interpreters products and services.

Director Sarah Nemitz, who sits on the board at Lehigh Career and Technical Institute, reported LCTI will extend the school year by two days due to snow days. The last day for students at LCTI will be June 11.

The Pennsylvania Association of Career & Technical Administrators held an advocacy day in Harrisburg April 9. The LCTI administrative team met with policymakers to advocate for legislative priorities in educator recruitment and retention, funding and adult and continuing education funding.

Nemitz also noted senior night for LCTI will be held May 29 at the PPL Center.

In her superintendent’s report, Fuini-Hetten acknowledged all the hard work the art department and their volunteers put forth as they framed and hung the many pieces of art presented in the district art show.

In conjunction with the art show, administrators held two community master facilities plan feedback sessions in the library. A good deal of conversation and feedback was generated during the sessions.

Fuini-Hetten also outlined some of the summer programs currently in the works for Salisbury students such as SOAR Camp, STEM Camp and Project LEAP.

The next regular school board meeting will be held 7 p.m. June 20. All meetings are held in the administration building, 1140 Salisbury Road, Allentown.