By Rick Dandesand Gina Morton
SUNBURY -- School districts in the Valley will receive from 3 to 4.1 percent increases in 2008-2009 basic education funding as part of the new $9.7 billion education package due to be signed today by Gov. Ed Rendell.
The state's new budget included school subsidies totalling $5.3 billion. The $5.3 billion represents an increase of $275 million over the 2007-2008 subsidy distributed to the commonweath's 501 school districts.
Milton Area School District Superintendent William A. Clark said, "The increase we're getting in our district, a 4.11 percent increase to $8.45 million, was anticipated. We figured it would fall within a certain range, based on previous years' increases, but it is always difficult to be exact until the budget is actually passed."
Clark said all districts' subsidies were increased by "at least 3 percent."
He added, "Every district was guaranteed that. "
Larger increases went to those districts identified in the General Assembly's costing-out study as needing additional resources to aid student achievement.
The Shamokin Area School District will get the largest subsidy in the area, $11.67 million, an increase of about $450,000 over last year.
The Lewisburg Area School District will receive a total subsidy of $2.98 million, the lowest amount in the Valley.
Ronald Kabonick, Lewisburg Area School District's director of administrative services, observed, "We only received $23,000 more this year than last year. Not much of a big change."
Kabonick added, "We budgeted a little less, so it was more than anticipated."
"There's not anything for new programs," he said. "That's basically what it comes down to."
How much are they getting?
Here's how Valley school districts fared in the latest state education funding package:
-- Danville: $6.79 million, a 3 percent increase over $6.59 million in 2007-2008
-- Lewisburg: $2.98 million, a 3 percent increase over $2.89 million in 2007-2008
--Line Mountain: $5.91 million, a 3 percent increase over $5.74 million in 2007-2008
-- Midd-West: $8.1 million, a 3.28 percent increase over $7.85 million in 2007-2008
-- Mifflinburg: $7.38 million, a 3.39 percent increase over $7.14 million in 2007-2008
-- Milton: $8.44 million, a 4.11 percent increase over $8.11 million in 2007-2008
-- Mount Carmel: $7.54 million, a 4.71 percent increase over $7.2 million in 2007-2008
-- Selinsgrove: $6.96 million, a 3.69 percent increase over $6.71 million in 2007-2008
-- Shamokin: $11.67 million, a 3.68 percent increase over $11.25 million in 2007-2008
-- Shikellamy: $11.59 million, a 3.88 percent increase over $11.16 million in 2007-2008
-- Warrior Run: $6.01 million, a 3 percent increase over $5.84 million in 2007-2008
