Credit: Tom Sofield/LevittownNow.com
Taxes in the Pennsbury School District will be going up by 2.2 percent.
The school board last week voted unanimously to support a $195,215,800 million spending plan for the 2016-2017 school year. Along with the budget is a 2.2 percent tax increase that will raise taxes on the averaged assessed property by $109 per year. The board decided not to increase taxes the full amount of 2.4 percent that they were authorized to under Act 1.
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The district, according to business manager Dan Rodgers, said the budget went from an $8 million deficit in January to a balanced budget that was passed last week. He said there we difficult choices made but the district will be able to maintain a quality level of education.
The tax increase will bring in about $3 million extra in revenues.
Rodgers said the district is also able to add tax revenue due to some growth in the community. He also stated there was an increase in state funding and a number of retirements that will help bring more funds into the district.
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As with other surrounding districts, increases in salaries, benefits and contributions to the Public School Employees’ Retirement System all prove to be rising expenditures for the district. Also, upgrades to the district’s technology, the purchase of new school buses and upcoming facility upgrades, like those planned for Pennwood Middle School, will increase costs.
Rodgers said the district cut vehicle fleet costs and competition in finding insurance providers also showed some savings for Pennsbury.
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The board also agreed to not cut librarian positions as were originally planned. The cost of $210,000 to fund the positions will come through savings in the budget.
