Letter to the editor: Quaker Valley school tax millage and future operating costs
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Millage increases a concern
As I write my October 2021 check payable to Quaker Valley School District, I look at the millage rate of 0.0194711 ($19.47 on every thousand dollars of assessed property value) and wonder about inevitable increases. The millage will rise by yearly increments for an updated high school facility. Borrowing for construction will be spread out to keep any single year from exceeding legal limits requiring a voter referendum. What will higher interest rates for borrowing in 2023, 2024, 2025 mean for debt service costs?
Operating costs for a high school on the proposed tract above Leetsdale will need to increase in no small measure simply to provide more school bus transportation. Will the school district dispose of all of the facilities now on Beaver Road, or will operating costs continue there? I foresee debt service costs plus increased operating costs relentlessly pushing up the school tax millage.
What does this scenario portend for Quaker Valley School District? I worry that tax millage becomes so high that young families avoid living here. The annual real estate tax liability is often a concern when purchasing a house. The elementary schools and middle school become underutilized. The shining new high school campus on the hill withers because operating costs need to be cut. Responsible planning requires a forecast of upcoming school tax millage, say to 2030. Ask school board members to be open with their constituents, please.
JJ Brooks Jr.
Sewickley