With eyes focusing on its upcoming budget-setting, the Butler School Board planned Monday to nudge state lawmakers toward fixing budget inadequacies.

Lisa Marron, a spokeswoman for unionized teachers in the district, walked the board through the state of public education funding in Pennsylvania as it compares to other states.

“The average is about 47 percent in the United States,” Marron said. “Pennsylvania only pays about 38 percent. So what that does is it creates a burden on school districts and local areas because you're dependent on local revenue to make up the difference for what the state is not paying in.”

The board seemed receptive to Marron's points, though Superintendent Brian White offered some realism: The state's finances aren't peachy, either.

“If you're asking for more, and they have less,” White said, “there's a fight to be had.”

Marron offered a few suggestions for how the board may impact politics. She gave each member a post card, saying they ought to write to their legislators. She also provided a draft resolution from PA Schools Work, an organization advocating for increasing basic education funding, special education funding and making funding distribution more equitable. The organization is holding a summit in the area in late January which a few board members plan to attend.

Board member Al Vavro suggested that board members ought to convene on a collective strategy, rather than each contacting legislators as individuals. Board member Suzie Bradrick was put in charge of an initial draft letter which other members would revise and sign.

Marron offered a final word of advice: legislators point to seemingly large increases in funding each year when asked about public education, but those amounts in Pennsylvania regularly fall short of increases in cost or even inflation rates. As the Eagle recently reported, special education costs in the Butler School District increased by about $5 million between 2008 and 2016, but state funding only increased by about $220,000.

Monday was the school board's annual reorganization meeting. The board unanimously voted to keep Nina Teff as board president and Jennifer Cummings as vice president.

Solicitor Tom King received permission from the board to participate in three tax assessment hearings. They are for Pullman Square, Kmart and Clearview Mall. Reappraising all three will cost the district about $11,500, but the properties' reassessments left unchallenged would decrease district revenues by $59,908, $68,842 and $200,141 respectively, King said.