VOORHEESVILLE — Further tests on water outlets in Voorheesville schools have found lead in 38 sinks out of 125 sinks and water fountains in the middle school and high school.

On Oct. 13. the school released a list of water outlets that tested at or higher than the minimum level for safety set by the state of 15 parts per billion, the highest level reaching 339 parts per billion in a classroom sink. Superintendent Brian Hunt told The Enterprise that these outlets — all sinks that are not normally used for drinking — will be labeled not suitable for drinking, as the state’s departments of health and education require.

Voorheesville first began testing its water for lead at its elementary school in August. The testing occurred before a state mandate for all public schools to test for lead by Oct. 31 was issued on Sept. 6. The tests, which came back on the first day of school in early September, found three sinks at or above the minimum lead level. Subsequent tests at the elementary school conducted a few weeks later found 11 sinks and water fountains with lead contaminants at or above the minimum level.

At this point, besides a few overlooked classroom sinks not used for drinking in the middle school and high school, the entire district has been tested. However, Hunt says that there are 12 outlets at the elementary school, including classroom sinks and water fountains and the kitchen sink, that are currently not being used as the school prepares to retest them.

Hunt says the district is waiting for advice from its contracted testing company CT Male on how to go about retesting. In the meantime, the school continues to provide bottled water.

On Oct. 6, the school released information in a letter on the results of the blood screenings for school employees. According to the letter, all employees tested within the normal range of blood lead levels. The district has paid for staff members’ blood tests, which were administered at the school.

Parents of students who attended the elementary school between 2007 and 2016 are able to be reimbursed for blood tests for lead on their children. A receipt for the expense must be submitted to the district office by Dec. 31. In the letter, Hunt states he has heard from parents that their children tested for normal levels.

Speaking with The Enterprise, Hunt stated that the state will reimburse all testing and repair expenses once the school submits for it. Hunt says the system to submit for reimbursement is opening soon; he plans to have the district submit for the aid sometime in the fall. The state’s department of education representative Jeanne Beattie confirmed that schools would be reimbursed, but added that it would not be a simple process.

Independent audit 

Monday night, the school board meeting discussed an independent auditor’s report compiled at the end of September for the past fiscal year, which ended on June 30. According to the audit, the district had increased its total net position of about $1.03 million. The district had collected revenue greater than what it had budgeted for by $271,000, and its expenditures were underspent by about $1,071,000.

Hunt attributed this net gain to lower energy expenses than expected due to the warm winter, and to lower costs in special education due to students enrolled in the program moving out of the district.

The report, noting that 71 percent of the school’s revenue comes from local property taxes and that 24 percent comes from state aid, warned that the school could be threatened by a state cap on property taxes and an unstable state budget. The report also noted that expected increases to health-insurance rates and increasing enrollment could also threaten the school’s finances.

Hunt acknowledged that all these factors are a concern. He projected a 1.5-percent increase in the tax levy and about a 5-percent increase in state aid, saying that, although last year the school had an 8-percent increase in aid, he had seen projections of only 4.5-percent in a report from the state’s division of budget.

Hunt said that the school would follow the recommendations made by the audit, and that the school’s response would be sent out as a letter. Such recommendations included paying attention to the state’s tax levy limit as well as the school’s unrestricted fund balance.

Hunt noted that though there were definite concerns, he was “cautiously optimistic” about next year’s finances.

“I think our financial health is good,” he said, “But I think we need to be cautious.”