GIRARD — The Girard Board of Education had the opportunity to look ahead, thanks to a forecast presented and approved at Thursday’s meeting.

Treasurer Maureen Lloyd explained to board members that the school’s revenue was projected to experience a 1% decline over the next five years because of losses in state funding.

“State funding is expected to decline by $475,000 per year compared to history, based on enrollment trends and state aid,” Lloyd said. “All schools are the same. The prior district I came from was on the same decline; that goes by student enrollment.”

If things changed, the forecast would also change, as enrollment trends are incorporated into the forecast, Lloyd added.

The school’s expenditures are expected to increase by 6.95% through the five-year forecast, Lloyd said, as personnel services and information technology represent 75% of the district’s operating budget.

Salaries and wages are expected to go up $490,000 per year in that time, not only because of raises to teachers and non-teacher staff, but also the ending of American Rescue Plan Homeless Funds refunds and charges returning to the school’s general fund.

They’ve already noted curriculum needs as well; Lloyd noted they budgeted $400,000 towards a new five-year math curriculum.

Julianne Ware, the school’s associate superintendent, said the district’s math teachers have already begun to prepare.

“We’ve already started that process now; so every math teacher in the district has already started looking at math curriculums and have started the audit of those meeting criteria components and curriculums are out there,” Ware said.

Ware said they’ve heard of a new budget bill expected to be pushed forward next spring through legislation, with math components, and she doesn’t want the district to be “behind the eight-ball.”

In other action, the board:

l Approved the resignation of Claire Bosela as head girls track coach for the district, effective Oct. 30.

l Approved Jen Gassman as head girls track coach on a two-year contract.

l Approved Bernard Scott, William Swertfager, Gary Orosz and Austin O’Hara as district-wide classroom and building support personnel on an as-needed basis at a rate of $15.60 per hour for up to 8 hours per day for the 2024-2025 school year.