The Tamaqua Area School Board on Tuesday approved a preliminary budget that calls for a 3.17 mill tax increase with no discussion.

The proposed spending plan for 2024-25 shows a beginning fund balance of $2,116,099, revenues of $39,880,052, expenditures of $39,908,429, and an ending fund balance of $2,087,722.

The millage rate would be set at 44.93 mills. The increase over the current millage would mean an additional $120 a year, or about $10 a month, for the average taxpayer across all municipalities.

The board chose not to increase taxes last year, when a 2.14 increase was proposed by the administration. The board instead chose to dip into the district’s fund balance, which has been on the decline since 2019.

The recommended minimum fund balance is 5%, which equates to $1,995,421, and the current proposed budget maintains that.

Graduation tonight

Superintendent Ray Kinder reported that they’re watching the weather for tonight’s graduation 7 p.m. at the stadium.

“Right now, the weather doesn’t look great for Thursday,” he said. “So, we could be inside. We’re going to wait as long as we can.”

If rain or thunderstorms are predicted around graduation time, then the ceremony will move inside, Kinder said. They’re also watching rain overnight and in the morning, which could leave the field too wet, he said.

He also extended congratulations to all graduating seniors, and to students performing well in recent academic, skills and sports competitions.

“Congratulations to so many of our students that have achieved so many great things,” he said.

Grants

The board also applied for a $5 million Public School Facility grant to replace the roof on the high school. The grant requires a 25% match, to which the district would be committed.

Other business

In other business, the board approved:

• The 2024 Student Flu Clinic administered by Health Hero of PA. The clinic is scheduled Nov. 5, and this is something that the district does every year.

• The 2024 graduation list.

• Agreements for the secondary and elementary Student Assistance Programs with Child and Family Support Services Inc. of Reading, beginning Aug. 1.

• Agreement with Child and Family Support Services to connect service providers with psychiatric outpatient clinic services for children.

• Four tax refunds in Tamaqua, Walker and West Penn townships.

• A three-year agreement with IXL Learning for math, English language arts, science and social studies for Tamaqua and West Penn elementary schools in the amount of $53,530.

• The purchase of 18,000 envelopes, including postage, for the 2024-25 tax bills from the U.S. Postal Service.

• A lease agreement with the Schuylkill Intermediate Unit 29 for classroom space for a preschool program from July 1, 2024 to June 30, 2025. The amount is $10,200 for the year.

• Grant acknowledge agreements and resolutions with the John E. Morgan Foundation for the 2023-24 scholarships in the amount of $30,000.

• Updates of policies regarding conflicts of interest and federal fiscal compliance, first reading.

• The repair of piping and related valves for the domestic water feed at the high school in the amount of $15,783, using a COSTARS vendor.

• The purchase of eight indoor Verkada Cameras with a 10 year warranty for the middle school from ByteSpeed, a COSTARS vendor, at a cost of $17,900.

• The purchase of Chromebooks from a COSTARS vendor at a cost not to exceed $120,000. This is a standard purchase each year.

• The purchase of two Intel Xeon-based servers from ByteSpeed at a cost of $19,750.