The tax increase instituted by the Bristol Township School District is one of the smallest in years.
The school approved a 1.3 mil tax increase, the lowest of three options presented, Wednesday evening with a 7-2 vote. School Board President Angela Nober and board member Gallus Obert were the two dissenting votes.
Advertisements
The district’s $137,369,787 spending plan for the 2017-2018 school year keeps programs and transportation intact for the upcoming school year. No staff will be laid off, but some positions will be cut through attrition.
The district could have raised taxes by the Act 1 maximum this year of 3.3 percent, bringing in about $2.2 million. After consideration, the majority of the school board made the decision to hold off in the tax increase that could have raised the average tax bill by $120.
Even after the $47 tax increase, the budget includes a $2.3 million shortfall that will be filled with surplus funds. However, the potential sale of five former elementary school properties and some additional reimbursements could help the district fill the hole during the next fiscal year.
Advertisements
District Business Manager Josh Sweigard said the administration found an additional $1 million in the budget that could be cut in recent weeks.
The approved budget was put together as pension costs, special education, charter schools and debt service costs are all expected to rise over the next year. The district anticipates paying $28 million next year for special education.
Superintendent Dr. Melanie Gehrens said the budget includes the cost to move the sixth grade to the district’s two middle schools. Earlier this year, the district put the costs to perform upgrades at Neil A. Armstrong Middle School on Wistar Road or Franklin D. Roosevelt Middle School on Veterans Highway (Route 413) around $50,000.
Advertisements
School board members Constance Moore and Jim Baker both told the public to ask legislators to increase school funding to help reduce the local tax burden.
Moore warned that while the district was able to keep programs and transportation, that might not always be possible if school funding is cut down the road.
