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MASD OK’s Prelim Budget, No Tax Hike Planned
School directors discuss expected and surprising costs
By Adam Reinherz
The Tube City Almanac
April 17, 2025
Posted in: McKeesport and Region News
McKeesport Area School Board unanimously approved a preliminary budget for the 2025-26 school year.
At Thursday’s meeting, school directors by 8-0 vote approved a budget of $86,579,617, which represents a 5 percent increase in expenses at McKeesport Area School District.
Property tax millage remains the same, at 20.96 mills. A homeowner whose house has an assessed value of $100,000 would pay $2,096 in school property taxes annually.
Among those expenses is a $50,000 line item for salaries for a “bus matron/monitors.”
The item, as School Director David Seropian explained, was inserted “per the request” of School Director Diane Elias. Elias’ request comes on the heels of comments made about student safety last month by Sidney Walker and Stephanie Pollock.
The two residents, who both drive for Krise Transportation, attended the March 13 school board meeting and said their comments were offered solely as those of private citizens concerned for the welfare of local youth.
During last month’s meeting, Walked and Pollock repeatedly asked the district for assistance. “We need monitors,” Walker said. “We need somebody to help us.”
The drivers urged school administrators and board members to ride on their buses and observe children using obscene and racist language, discussing drug use, fighting and threatening other pupils as well as drivers.
Seropian said the district is adding bus monitors to “try to address the problem for the rest of this school year, (and) for next year.”
Following the April 10 meeting, Superintendent Don MacFann recalled Walker and Pollock’s comments and said the district considered their remarks along with “what the community said.”
Introducing a $50,000 line item into the budget “is a pretty big jump, but once again, I’d rather be on the safe side than the sorry side.”
MacFann added that whatever funds are not used “to keep kids safe” will be “dumped back into the general fund next year.”
Shortly before concluding Thursday’s meeting, school directors approved a resolution increasing district translation services performed by Kaelynn Hillegass “at a rate of $35 per hour for an additional five hours per week.”
The resolution follows a district approval in September to hire Hillegass for translation services at a rate of $35 per hour, not to exceed 10 hours per week, to be paid for by Dick’s Sporting Goods Foundation.
According to a Right to Know Request filed in September, the district currently has 106 “Spanish speaking” students.
Hillelgass’ additional hours will be spent ensuring Spanish speaking stakeholders receive updates and other information through SchoolMessenger (a communication platform), MacFann said on April 10: “It’s communication, I can’t say enough.”
Adam Reinherz is a Pittsburgh-based journalist. He can be reached at adam.reinherz@gmail.com.
Originally published April 17, 2025.
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