May’s work session and finance committee meeting took place on Tuesday night at the North Penn School District Educational Services Center. The work session included discussion topics such as budget transfers and student meal plans. 

Megan McGee-Heim, Director of Special Education, presented information to the board about the request for proposal for occupational and physical therapy. McGee-Heim’s brief presentation introduced the recommended candidate for the program, PTS, that North Penn would move forward with for the next three years. 

Melissa Froehlich, Coordinator of School Nutrition Services, also spoke to the board regarding a proposed legislation that would provide free meals to all students in Pennsylvania in the upcoming year. The goal of this legislation would be to provide students with both breakfast and lunch free of charge regardless of their household income. The board recognized Froehlich for her advocacy for free and reduced lunch programs.

The board spent a large portion of the meeting discussing the 2023-24 Real Estate Tax Installment Payments and Penalty Amount. Mr. Steve Skrocki, Chief financial officer, reviewed the six installments that are currently in place for tax members as well as the three installments that they were offered in previous years. The board did not come to an agreement on the percent penalty that taxpayers should face for late payment as some members agreed on 7.5% and some agreed on 5%. The motion was carried for 7.5% and will be discussed further in the action meeting taking place next week.

The board members displayed a presentation that highlighted the 2023-24 Proposed Final Budget Update. Alongside this presentation Mr. Ronald Linke, Assistant Director of Business Administration, introduced another slideshow that helped explain in detail about the School-Based Access Medicaid Reimbursement Program. Linke discussed the specific costs that would qualify for reimbursement, including the new PTS program discussed earlier in the meeting. Skrocki circled back to the budget presentation and reviewed the budget deficits, revenue, and expenditures. The presentation also compared the district’s recent retirement rates and expenses to those of previous years.

All motions were carried for review for the upcoming action meeting taking place on May 18, 2023. Other information can be found in BoardDocs.