School Board Approves Tax Hike

Without any discussion on the matter, the nine members of the Centennial School Board unanimously voted to approve the 2011-12 budget Tuesday evening.

The budget calls for a tax increase of 5.04 mils, the maximum amount the district was allowed to raise taxes under Pennsylvania’s Act 1 limits without requiring a voter referendum. 

A mill is equal to one dollar of tax on every $1,000 of assessed property value.

The average home in the district is assessed at $26,400. 

An increase of 5.04 mills means the average homeowner will pay $133 over their current tax bill of $2,865, or approximately $2,997 in real estate taxes. 

According to a document distributed at the meeting,  the 2011-12 budget consists of slightly more than $95 million in expenditures, with 71% allotted to salary and benefits and just 13% to tuition and services.

District officials said numerous cuts were made across several different line items in the budget, allowing the district to come in more than $3.1 million less than the . 

“A budget is a battle of a thousand skirmishes,” said Centennial’s Director of Business Administration Christopher Berdnik.

Along with these cuts, the district will move $250,000 from the fund balance and reduce staff by 28 positions.

Board President Andrew Pollock said this staff reduction requires furloughing 23 teachers.

Pollock said the board knew of the necessary staffing reductions when the teacher’s contract was agreed upon, and representatives from the teachers association were made aware of the plan to reduce the number of staff. 

“We knew there would be at least 15 teachers to be furloughed based upon the consolidation,” he said. “We also expect somewhere between 10 to 15 or more next year with the additional consolidation.”

Pollock said he does not anticipate the reduction in staff to cause an increase in class size, as one of the goals of the district is to try to keep class size within the limits dictated by board policy.

He said that overall he is pleased with the outcome of both the contract negotiations and the budget process.

“Now we can get on with what is happening next year,” he said. “The opening of the renovated Willow Dale and the new academic wing of the high school and beginning construction on the Region 1 and Region 2 elementary schools.”