Although the Jim Thorpe Area School District only just recently approved its 2010-2011 budget, its fiscal woes are far from over.

In fact, judging by statements made at the school board's regular meeting last night, the district, as well as the entire state, is headed for turbulent times.The hallmark issue of the evening was coincidentally the first one addressed. Dale Kirk of the accounting firm Kirk, Summa & Co. was on hand to present a report detailing the finer points of the district's finances.According to Kirk, whose firm provides accounting services for three districts in addition to JTASD, the district's net assets (the amount the district has left to spend) for 2009 are $4.16 million, a drastic decrease from 2008's $5.92 million."That's as low as you probably want to go," Kirk said.Unfortunately, this reduction coincides with a larger crisis: the state educator's pension debate.Currently a heated topic in Harrisburg, the pension fund for Pennsylvania's educators is virtually depleted. It's estimated that in order to stabilize the situation, schools across the state will have to increase their payments by 20 percent, which translates to higher taxes and larger employee contributions."The fund is practically flat broke right now," Kirk said. "And with more teachers retiring each year, the tension placed on the system is just going to keep getting worse. This isn't an upcoming threat; the problem is here now."Kirk concluded his report with some promise, commending the board on the scrutiny it has recently afforded its spending. He warned board members that this behavior is essential in the upcoming months and that accurate records are equally important.Compared to the opening statements, the remainder of the meeting was uneventful, concerned mostly with personnel issues.The board unanimously passed a salary increase for summer program instructors from $30 to $35 an hour. This increase was justified by the tuition the students enrolled in the program pay: $125 for high school students and $100 for elementary students.The resignation of current band front adviser Amy Burkey was accepted by the board, as was that of Maria Ryan, an instructional assistant for the pre-kindergarten program.