School District Passes Budget Proposal Including Tax Increase

The School District of Upper Dublin unanimously passed their final budget proposal on Monday night, which calls for a property tax increase of 4.25-percent in order to meet the 2012–2013 operating budget of $85, 461,402.

The total tax increase consists of a 1.7-percent increase, which is allowable under ACT 1, along with a special education exception increase of 1.41-percent and a 1.14-percent increase for the Public Schools Employee Retirement System.

“The major expenditures in the 2012-2013 budget -- and as in the case of nearly all school districts – remain salaries, benefits and debt service,” said Superintendent Michael Pladus, in documents distributed prior to the start of the meeting. “The revenues for funding these expenditures once again fall heavily on local taxpayers – a product of a state system that relies heavily on local property taxes.”

More than half of the budget consists of $42,336,474 in salary and $5,230,378 in contributions to PSERS, but the district was able to find health-care savings of $240,000, energy conservation savings of $200,000 and $492,285 in savings due to bond refinancing.

A motion to amend the final budget proposal was introduced by board member Art Levinowitz, who suggested a $180,000 decrease in expenses -- or $180,000 increase in revenue -- to help offset the proposed tax increase, but he was unable to secure enough votes to secure the motion's passage.

The budget proposal will face a formal vote for passage on June 13.