Superintendent: Salisbury Schools Need $100,000 Prize

Faced with more than $1 million loss in revenue this year, could use some found money.

What if the district were given $100,000, no strings attached?

As one of 24 national finalists in , there's a possibility that Salisbury school district could win this hefty prize.

And it's all because township residents in Patch's holiday house contest. Among hundreds of entries at deckthehouse.patch.com, a judge selected their house to be a finalist. If the Renningers' house gets the most votes from the public by Sunday, Jan. 8, Salisbury Township School Distict wins the $100,000 grand prize.

"We're pretty jazzed about it," said Superintendent Robert Gross, who met with the Renningers on Monday.  Gross already fantasized what the district could do with the money. The district, which has faced some of its toughest budgets in the last couple years, has had to cut positions and raise taxes.

"The first thing we're going to do is offset our revenue loss with that. We're trying to recover about $1 million," Gross said.

"In which category that goes in, I'm not sure yet. But with the revenue loss we've experienced in the past two to three years, that would come in handy to ," he said.

"We're trying to do our best to curtail spending this year and save as much money as we can. We also have to look at our interim taxes as they come in March. This is all so soft. We don't know what the governor is projected to do. He'll release his budget on February 7, so we'll see what's happening there with his education budget. That's an unknown."

Since school officials got the contest news Friday, they have been spreading the word throughout the district's five schools and encouraging the community to vote at deckthehouse.patch.com. Gross they are using every medium possible: Facebook, Twitter, e-mail, yard signs, flyer and announcements at sporting events and its daily morning newscast.

But Salisbury needs your help. Go to deckthehouse.patch.com and cast your vote for the Renninger's house, and then vote everyday through Sunday, Jan. 8, when the contest ends.