Norwin board grapples with covering $7.8M deficit

Even with a 6.8% property tax increase, Norwin School District will have to use $4.8 million of its reserves to balance a proposed $91 million budget for the 2024-2025 school year.

If it foregoes the tax hike, the district would deplete its reserves from $9.7 million to $1.9 million to cover the shortfall.

School board members this week couldn’t reach a consensus on the spending plan, but will vote on the matter June 3.

Board members were shown the options this week.

“You’re not going to cut $4.8 million out of this budget. We’re going to impact the fund balance,” Matt Thomas, board president, said at the May 20 meeting.

The fund balance is projected to be $9.7 million, said Ryan Kirsch, business affairs director.

The proposed budget adopted on April 22 projected revenues of $83.29 million without any tax hike and expenses at $91.1 million. The current budget is supported by an 85.8-mill tax on property in North Huntingdon, Irwin and North Irwin, and 12.78 mills on the 18 properties the district serves in Allegheny County. Of the tax millage in the Westmoreland County portion of the district, 1.2 mills is collected for the Norwin Public Library.

Were the district to levy the state-permitted maximum tax hike of 5.83 mills, those whose property is at the assessed median value of $22,540 would pay an extra $131.41 per year in school taxes. But those eligible for the homestead or farmland exemption, would see that additional tax burden drop to $107, Kirsch said.

As a result of resignations and retirements, the board’s personnel committee recommended hiring two special education teachers, a school nurse, an elementary teacher, an Air Force instructor and a family and consumer science teacher, Kirsch said.

Assistant Superintendent Natalie McCracken said the district also is required to hire an autistic support teacher and a reading specialist for kindergarten through fourth grade. The proposed budget also calls for hiring two kindergarten teachers and one elementary teacher.

Director Shawna Ilagan opposed the proposed budget and said she is against hiring new employees unless those positions are required. The board must reduce the budget deficit and the best way for the school district to save money would be to not fill positions, Ilagan said.

More cuts into positions will create long-term problems, Thomas said.

Director Bill Bojalad said he supports the budget with the proposed hiring of instructors and would be in favor of raising property taxes.

The district could avoid any tax hike by using the district’s cash and investments, which director Alex Detschelt said would be sufficient to cover the proposed deficit.