SOUTH WHITEHALL TWP., Pa. — Residents in Parkland School District will pay more in property taxes next year.
The school board voted Tuesday to approve its 2023-24 general fund budget that includes a 2.5% increase in property taxes.
- Parkland School Board's budget for the 2023-24 fiscal year was passed Tuesday with a property tax rate hike of 0.4 of a mill, or 2.5%
- That would be the district's largest rate increase in seven years, but would keep it as the lowest millage rate in the county
- The budget shows the money would be used mostly for salary and benefits, special education services, and charter school tuition
The increase is the district's largest in seven years.
The tax hike amounts 0.4 of a mill, which would push the millage rate from 15.90 mills to 16.30 mills.
That means the owner of a property with an assessed value of $247,000 — the average in the district — would see an increase of $98.03 to their annual tax bill.
2324 Proposed Final Budget Packet 5.16.23 by LVNewsdotcom on Scribd
The owner of a property with an assessed value of $400,000 would see a $159 increase.
Despite the tax hike, the district still will have the lowest millage rate in the county. The second lowest is Southern Lehigh School District, with a rate of 17.26 mills.
"I voted against a tax increase last time," board member Jay Rohatgi said. "But as a district, we can have an increase and still be fiscally responsible. It's a moderate increase. At some point, we have to keep the district running.
"Parkland is an excellent district. We want it to remain that way."
Comparable data
Board member Lisa Roth said future expenditures will cost money.
"We're just trying to be fiscally responsible here," Roth said. "We want small increases so we don't have a one huge one that we may be looking at in four or five years."
The district is debating building a new middle school and an addition to the high school, or creating a new school for eighth and ninth graders.
All board members present voted in favor of the budget; board member Patrick Foose, who has been vocal in his opposition to the budget increases, was not at the meeting.
"We need to consider those in the community whose children have been out of the system for years and are scared they will be taxed out of their homes."Parkland School Board member Patrick Foose
Foose expressed his opposition in an emailed statement:
"We are in hard economical times with high inflation. A 2.5% tax increase is uncalled for when we have a fund balance, which was at $43 million as of 2022, to avoid yet another tax increase.
"We need to consider those in the community whose children have been out of the system for years and are scared they will be taxed out of their homes."
The main increases in expenditures in the budget are $4 million more in salary costs, a $3.8 million increase in the cost of benefits, a $566,000 increase in the cost of special education services and a $554,000 increase in charter school tuition.
In addition to the tax increase, the proposed budget would use about $4.5 million of the district's fund balance, or the money it has in reserves, to cover the budget's deficit.
The proposed budget also transfers $5 million of the fund balance to the capital reserve fund.
Board Vice President Marisa Ziegler said the district should not use the fund balance to cover the entire deficit because the spending includes recurring costs.
Staff writer Olivia Marble contributed to this report.
