Quaker Valley School District property owners should expect to see an uptick in real estate taxes of 2.9% as a result of next school year’s budget.

Board members unanimously voted to approve the 2022-23 proposed final budget on April 12.

Its formal adoption is scheduled for May 18.

The budget includes a millage rate hike of 0.5656 mills, from 19.4711 mills to 20.0367 mills.

There are no programming or staffing cuts proposed.

Owners of a $200,000 home would pay $9.43 more per month in property taxes, or $113.16 more for the year.

District director of finance Scott Antoline said the increase was necessary to help balance the budget with the rising costs of everything else.

“Unfortunately, Quaker Valley is not immune to the inflationary pressures hitting all of us at home, too,” Antoline said. “However, I am confident that we will be able to maintain tax rate increases within allowable limits for next year and into the near future.”

In January, the board approved a resolution to keep any tax hike within an inflation-based state limit of 3.4%.

Act 1, passed in 2006 to provide property tax relief, sets a tax cap for school districts to cover normal inflationary costs and still pass a balanced budget without exceeding the tax hike cap.

Board member and treasurer Jeff Watters said his colleagues and administrators did all they could to keep the raise to a minimum.

“There is a tax increase this year due to inflationary pressures for operational costs and incremental funding for the high school project,” Watters said. “We continue to monitor information from the state and federal funding sources; however, we do not anticipate any major changes between now and next month.”

Projected 2022-23 revenues were listed at about $55.629 million and expenses at $55.639 million, a $10,000 shortfall. Antoline said the gap can be filled through the reserve fund.

Income includes about $35.82 million in current real estate taxes, $4.95 million in earned income tax, a little less than $9 million in state funds and about $1.057 million in federal money.

Expenses include about $23.385 million for salaries, $13.831 million for benefits including Social Security and pensions, $6.47 million for debt service, $2.27 million for transportation, $1.168 for purchased property services and budgetary reserve, $2.02 million for professional services and $3.184 million in miscellaneous spending.

Board president Jon Kuzma said there was nothing out of the ordinary regarding planning next school year’s budget.

“We have a very defined process, and we are always planning for the long-term,” he said. “There are many factors that go into creating a budget and while variations may change year to year the process is the same.”

The proposed budget is available for review at the district office, 100 Leetsdale Industrial Drive.

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