The Oxford School Board unanimously approved a final budget totaling $70,539,523 for the 2019-2020 school year at its meeting on May 28.

A one-percent tax increase is necessary to balance the budget. The millage rate will increase to 31.4599 mills for 2019-2020, up from the current millage rate of 31.1484 mills.

A one-percent tax hike equates to a $39 increase in the tax bill for the average property owner in the school district.

Overall, Oxford Area School District’s projected expenditures for 2019-2020 are increasing by about $1.27 million over the current fiscal year.

The Oxford School Board agreed to set the Capital Reserve Fund Budget at $1,685,000 for the 2019-2020 school year.

The Oxford Area School District is saying goodbye to a number of teachers and longtime employees who are retiring at the conclusion of the current school year. The retirements that were approved by the school board include art teacher Karen Andress, English teacher Anne Marie DeAngelis, music teacher Julia Farber, physical education teacher Kimberly McCardell, social studies teacher David Sample, grade three teacher Lynne Stroud, and Penn’s Grove School librarian Kathleen Wagoner.

The school board approved more than a dozen contracts for a wide range of maintenance and service work, as well as a number of contracts for special education services.

Barbacane, Thornton & Company was appointed to do an audit of the general purpose financial statements for the fiscal year ending on June 30, 2019.

The school board also voted to set the participation fees at $75 for high school sports, $50 for Penn’s Grove sports, and $50 for parking at the high school for the 2019-2020 school year. 

The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia Care Network was designated as the school district’s physician for the next school year, while Drew C. Eckman, DDS was named as the school district’s dentist for the next year. 

On a very nice note, the school board went through the process of temporarily designating school board members Jenifer Warren and Gary Olson as the president pro temp of the school board so that they would each be able to put their signatures on the diplomas of their children who are graduating on Friday, June 7. Warren has one child graduating this year, while Olson has two children graduating.

The Oxford School Board will meet again on Tuesday, June 18 at 7 p.m. at the Administration Building.