The Salisbury Township School District board of directors held an operations and finance committee meeting April 15.

The meeting began on a positive note as representatives from Giant Food Stores Nicole Tibak and Tammy Mertz presented the district with a check for $2,997.79.

Tibak explained how Giant customers and employees who participate in the round-up program by rounding up to the nearest dollar at checkout January through March contributed to the sizable donation to support the Feeding School Kids Program.

According to Chief Financial Officer Dawn Nickischer, all students in the district currently receive free breakfast and lunch through the Community Eligibility Provisions Program so the money from Giant will be used to replace a serving line that has several wells that are inoperable and cannot be repaired due to the age of the equipment.

Director of Facilities Bill Brackett addressed the next agenda item which involved a proposal to mitigate the problem of severe ponding and ice accumulation in the parking lot in front of the administration building, 1140 Salisbury Road, posing a hazard for both cars and pedestrians.

CHA representatives Matt Fornes and Josh Grice were on hand to explain the project which entails tearing up the parking lot and regrading the asphalt and concrete from the steps to the sidewalk.

The project, which is in addition to the planned concrete and asphalt projects slated for this year will total $72,000 and will be paid for by withdrawing from the fund balance.

The project requires board approval and will be brought up at the April 22 regular school board meeting.

The board continued its search for an engineer of record and after interviewing several companies has narrowed the search to the final two engineering firms namely, Alloy5 and SitelogiQ.

Michael Metzger and his team from Bethlehem based Alloy5, which has an office located in Salisbury Township, laid out how his company will strive to meet the short and long-term needs of the district with an eye to addressing district priorities as well as cost structure, implementation and ongoing costs.

Next up was SitelogiQ which has worked with districts across Pennsylvania and recently opened a branch in Allentown. Vice President Mike Arnold and his colleagues explained how they would help the district strategically create a culture of facilities planning by detailing the process and cost for a master facilities plan using the most current market pricing data to make informed decisions.

Team members also outlined how they will help the district procure available grant money at the federal and state levels to finance projects, noting the firm has former public educators on staff who are sensitive to the needs and constraints districts and its administrators face.

Board members posed questions pertaining to the exact costs involved in drafting of master facilities plans, long- and short-term capital improvement plans, how data is updated and communicated to the district and whether grant writing was part of the overall project fees.

Each board member was given an opportunity to voice their overall impressions of the presentations although it was clear that more thorough discussions needed to take place before a decision is rendered.

Director Sarah Nemitz, who volunteered to write a proposal for the Pennsylvania School Boards Association legislative platform, asked board members for input as to what they felt are the most important issues facing Salisbury Township School District. Topics of note included the high percentage of nonprofits located in the district coupled with the high percentage of residential versus commercial taxpayers, further emphasis on Cyber/Charter school reforms and help for senior citizens who struggle to pay taxes.

The operations portion of the meeting closed with an informal agreement to renew an agreement with Under Armour for all future uniform purchases.

The finance committee portion of the meeting reviewed year-end projections that appeared to be largely on target.

When Nickischer presented the five-year projection data directors Laura McKelvey, Joseph Gaither and Thomas Spinner expressed their disappointment in the usability of the five-year projection tool to assist the board in making accurate budget decisions.

Nickischer attempted to explain the limits of the software and in an effort to move forward both Fuini-Hetten and Director Joseph Gnall suggested the issue be tabled and discussed in-depth at another time.

The meeting continued with an update on the budget timeline and a look at historical funding trends which point out the stark reality that current funding is not keeping up with costs leaving districts scrambling to fill in the gaps.

Nickischer also charted the additional revenue created with tax increases at increments starting at 3.1% through 3.5%. The current budget assumes a 3.5% increase in taxes.

The budget gap as of February was $2.7 million and after adjustments were made a balanced budget has been achieved assuming the board decides to raise taxes 3.5%. Also included in the budget is the addition of two full-time teaching positions.

At this time the state has yet to pass a budget which makes budgeting as a district difficult because of the uncertainty surrounding state funding. This leaves districts in a position that forces them to make a guess at how much funding will be received.

Legislators are hopeful that a budget will be passed by July 2.

In response to a previous request from two board members Gnall asked for board members who would be interested in forming a committee to get a better understanding of the policies, processes and how funds are utilized in the athletic and activities budgets.

The next meeting of the Salisbury Township School board operations and finance committee will be 7 p.m. May 6. All meetings are held in the administration building, 1140 Salisbury Road, Allentown.