Parkland School Board and 32 administrative staff convened April 25 for the annual budget seminar.

During the daylong event, participants re-viewed not only revenue and expenditures for school year 2014-15, but also factors influencing the budget including demographics, enrollment, residential construction proposals, education programs, building improvements, equipment, technology, curriculum and instruction, and more.

In her opening remarks, board President Roberta Marcus commented on the seminar.

"School budgets set the course for the coming year," Marcus said. "We want to be student focused and fiscally responsible.

"The commonwealth has abdicated its responsibility and obligation for education funding. We have a commitment to provide comprehensive education in Parkland School District."

District Superintendent Richard Sniscak reported short-term trends on the revenue side are positive and this will enable the district to increase taxes no higher than the 2.1 percent Act 1 index.

Nevertheless, Parkland still has budgetary challenges such as rising pension costs, increases in payments for employees' medical benefits, and inadequate financial help from the state in all matters, but particularly in special education which remains at its 2008 level of funding, Sniscak continued.

He said the millage rate as of the seminar date would be 14.23, the lowest in Lehigh County.

However, the superintendent said the administrative staff must mitigate the final millage rate lower, below the allowable 2.1 percent increase to at least 14.12.

Business Manager John Vignone said the budget will be helped along through an appropriation of $4.5 million from the district fund balance and $1 million from the capital projects fund, which will be used for the purchase of school buses, technology improvements and capital updates.

He said the district had a delta of $1.77 million, the gap between revenue and expenditures, in March.

By the time of the budget seminar, the amount was shaved down to $807,066.

District employees are exploring additional avenues for either cost savings or sources of revenue to eliminate the difference before final presentation of the $152.2 million budget and its adoption June 24.