The governor's veto of a Republican-crafted budget will affect area school districts down the road.

Reimbursement for school construction projects are put on hold due to the governor's recent veto, according to Sen. David G. Argall, R-Schuylkill/Berks.Reimbursement delaysEighteen school district projects in the 29th senatorial district will be forced to wait for reimbursement from the state.Under the state's Planning and Construction Workbook, otherwise known as PlanCon, school districts receive a portion of funding for new construction from the state.The Senate and House-passed budget package included reimbursements for 547 school construction projects across Pennsylvania. The state owes $5.3 billion in reimbursements to school districts for construction projects.Panther Valley School District is among many districts where reimbursement for construction projects at various school districts will be put on hold.Though he declined to comment on the reimbursement matter, Panther Valley Superintendent Dennis Kergick said the district will keep a keen eye on the state budget."I don't see any immediate challenges to what we have to do for the families and for the students of the Panther Valley School District," Kergick said. "As it drags out, and it's going to drag out, I don't see any quick fix here."Jim Thorpe Area School District Superintendent Brian Gasper offered his take on the budget stalemate."Realizing that there are different thoughts on the state budget in the Pennsylvania legislature, JTASD anticipated a delayed budget," Gasper said. "Of course our daily operations are dependent on the monies received from different areas, all of which are needed to maintain our educational system."Gasper said the district receives 5 percent of its budget from the state, which he said is significantly less than many other districts."We are hopeful for a finalized budget in the near future, so we can work with hard numbers to continue our budgetary planning process," he said.Palmerton Area School District Superintendent Scot Engler said the district continues to operate as it always does."Sadly, we expect this," Engler said. "We're prepared to continue business as usual; we expect this will happen.""Our budget is done and submitted and has been accepted, and we operate as usual," he said.Braced for delaysTamaqua Area School District Superintendent Carol Makuta said the district has braced itself for the situation."Right now, it wouldn't have an immediate impact on services because we've prepared in case we might have a delay," Makuta said. "Down the road it will become a concern; if it stalemates for a long time, of course everybody will be in a scramble."Northern Lehigh School District Superintendent Michael Michaels said the stalemate puts school districts in an uncomfortable position."The state requires us as a school district to have a budget done by the last day of June," Michaels said. "The problem with that is it is a major guesstimate of what we will get or won't get from the state."Michaels added, "We're asked to make a budget and spend hours and hours deliberating and making strong educational decisions, and we don't know if we're getting any funding from the state. You're rolling the dice every year; you just don't know."We're a pawn in their political game," he said. "They ask us to make a budget, we do the best we can; it's tough."I don't want legislators making educational decisions, I want administration making educational decisions," Michaels said.The district builds its budget with the assumption it will receive flat funding, Michaels said."We're good now without a state budget; however, "If we don't get any money from the state by September, it's going to put a real strain on us."Conversely, Michaels said, "If we do get more than we're supposed to get, it's going to go to improving the education of our children, because that's the number one priority of our district," he said.State Rep. Doyle Heffley, R-Carbon, said they have agreed to two-thirds of the budget."The governor is justplaying politics," Heffley said. "I think it's just un-necessary, and he should be doing a better job than he is."Heffley said, "The time to negotiate isn't after the deadline."I'm hopeful that he will come to the table and start to negotiate, rather than just put forth his own agenda."