BAVTS Budget Reduction Pays Off for Districts

The Bethlehem Area School District, Saucon Valley School District and Northampton Area School District will each gain a welcome financial boon from a few cuts in the budget, executive director Brian Williams told the BASD board during their finance committee meeting Monday evening.

The BASD board had previously requested Williams go back over the institution's budget and make reductions to help it close a more than $2.1 million gap caused by a reduction in state and federal funding in it's own budget. The district funds the lion's share of the technical/vocational school.

A total of about $700,000 was eliminated from BAVTS expenditures for 2011-12, Williams said, which is funded by the three districts based on the number of students that attend from each.

The reduction in expenditures means a $455,983 savings to the BASD.

SVSD will save approximately $67,700, and NASD will save a little more than $192,000.

To reduce spending, a vacant teaching position, a custodial position and four support staff positions were eliminated, Williams said, adding that the school has been trying to cut costs for several years running and will continue to do so.

“In the past three years, we have reduced costs by $600,000 through staff reductions,” he said. Future reductions in underenrolled programs are likely too, he added.

The BASD savings will be used to offset the costs of restored programming that had been threatened by budget shortfalls, district officials said.