Credit: Tom Sofield/LevittownNow.com
School taxes in Bristol Township will not be increasing.
On Wednesday with just hours before the deadline to have an approved budget, the Bristol Township School Board voted 6-2 to keep taxes flat and green lit the $148.3 million spending plan.
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The millage rate will remain at 220.14. The median school tax bill for Bristol Township homeowners is $3,877.
The school board last raised taxes in the 2018-2019 school year.
The district is expecting revenues of $143.1 million. To cover the budget gap, the district plans to pull from its reserves.
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The district said the main drivers of expenditure increases were charter school tuition, debt service, and employee costs. Taxpayer funds going to charter schools have risen from just over $3 million in the 2011-2012 school year to more than $9 million last year.
In a March budget presentation, Josh Sweigard, the district’s business manager, reported local revenues, which largely fund the district, dropped from $94 million in the 2019-2020 fiscal year to $88.3 million in 2020-2021 during the pandemic. The district expects local revenues to increase to about $92 million this budget year.
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Over the past years, the district has been shrinking the amount of staff on payroll through attrition and working to keep spending down.
Bristol Township Council President Craig Bowen spoke during public comment of the school board meeting and commended the district for keeping taxes in line.
Correction: A previous version of this story stated the vote was 8-2. In fact, the vote was 6-2.
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