Credit: Tom Sofield/LevittownNow.com
Taxes will be going up in the Pennsbury School District.
The school board voted last week to approve the $223 million 2021-2022 spending plan that includes a 2.35 percent tax increase, which comes to an increase of $97.53 for the average residential property in the district.
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The school board voted not to raise taxes last summer, but expenses exceeded revenues by $3.2 million.
Pennsbury CFO Christopher Berdnik said revenues are projected to increase by 3.37 percent and expenditures are expected to increase by 2.35 percent over 2020-2021. The budget sets aside $1.18 million from the $16.4 million general fund to cover a forecasted budget gap.
Of the district’s revenues, 73 percent come from local sources, 24 percent from the state, and 3 percent from the federal government.
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Staff pay and benefits are the district’s largest expenditure.
Basic education and special education subsidies are forecasted to stay flat. The district’s labor contracts are settled, there are 25 retirements accounted for, and there will be a reduction of 7 positions in the new budget, Berdnik said.
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Pennsbury is looking to spend as much as $140 million over the next decade on facility upgrades, but the impacts of that won’t be seen this coming fiscal year.
Pennsbury had expected a tougher-than-normal budgeting season due to COVID-19. Ten scenarios were initially considered as budget planning got underway.
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