Butler Area School Board talked budget during an online meeting Monday.

Superintendent Brian White discussed the district's budget for the 2020-21 school year.

“We know this is going to be a very challenging budget year,” White said, adding that “We don't know all the pieces yet.”

White said he wished he could give the board and the public more insight by providing figures, but right now he doesn't have them.

Despite a large amount of uncertainty, White commented on what the district will likely do about taxes next year.

“We know residents and businesses are going to struggle to pay taxes in a timely manner. With all that said, we really feel that we're going to make a commitment not to raise taxes this year.”

Butler Area School Board will meet again on May 11 to pass a preliminary budget. Members of the public will have 30 days to review and comment on the budget before a final decision is made.

White said one area that will likely change from the district's pre-pandemic plans will be projects and accessory uses of revenue.

One area that will continue to proceed will be the work on the Broad Street School which will be leased by Butler County for use as an emergency medical facility for the current pandemic and any other similar scenarios in the future.

White said some of the work being done to rework part of the school for medical care needs crosses over into the district's own needs. He said there are reimbursements that are available through the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency that help offset the cost of the project.

“I wouldn't call it free, but it's definitely been advantageous for us to be involved with,” White said.

Once complete, the county will lease the building from the district.

In an interview Tuesday, Butler County Commissioner Leslie Osche said the lease agreement has already been reviewed by solicitors on both sides and could be on the commissioner's agenda for its upcoming meeting.

“Right now, the lease would go until the end of July, and then after that it could be renewed on a month-by-month basis,” Osche said.

During Monday's meeting, White thanked maintenance workers who have been working at the Broad Street school.

“They've been kind of with us the whole time,” Osche said of the district's staff. “They have been nothing but stellar in getting it done and getting it done quickly.”

White said the facility will have a great impact for their students when they return, but in the meantime, the facility will help the community at large as they deal with an unprecedented pandemic.

Osche said talks with Butler Health System continue to be positive in that the facility is not needed right away, and it continues to be a fallback and overflow option. But she said it's better to have something in place and ready to use now, rather than when it's needed later.

“We could be in a standby situation for a year,” Osche said. “I think it's reasonable to think that we'll be dealing with this until such time that a vaccine becomes available.”