Penn-Trafford eyes property tax increase, but some board members opposed

Property taxes will jump about 2% in Penn-Trafford School District unless school board members revise a preliminary 2024-2025 budget approved last week.

The proposed $68.9 million spending plan is supported by a 91.75 mill tax levy in Westmoreland County, a 2-mill increase over the current tax rate of 89.75 mills. The tax rate would go up to 14.12 mills for Allegheny County residents.

One mill brings the district about $315,000 in Westmoreland County and about $230,000 in Allegheny County, according to district Business Manager Brett Lago.

The increase would raise tax bills by about $55, he said. The average tax bill is $2,540 for Westmoreland residents and $1,400 for Allegheny residents.

The district’s average assessed value for Westmoreland homeowners is $27,690. It is $64,865 in Allegheny County, where there are only 17 properties registered in the district.

Superintendent Matthew Harris initially sought a 3-mill tax increase to keep up with rising costs.

“We’re asking for extra mills to kind of keep up,” Harris said.

Penn-Trafford spent $65.9 million last school year. The 4.5% expenditure increase in next school year’s budget is the result of rising costs for cyber and charter schools, special education, transportation, maintenance and employee salaries.

The cost of employee health care has increased by 12%, Lago said. The district also moved to replace the students’ school-issued Chromebook laptops, he said.

Board members Philip Kochasic, Scott Koscho, Dallas Leonard, Jim Matarazzo, Nick Petrucci and Martin Stovar voted in favor of a 2-mill increase. Toni Ising, Bryan Kline and Rich Niemic voted against the increase.

Kline said he will not support any tax increase for next school year. He said he does not want to place an additional burden on residents following the 32% tax hike set by the Westmoreland County commissioners in December.

“Harrisburg has committed to injecting funds into our education at historic levels,” Kline said. “I hope for the sake of every single resident in Westmoreland County and the Penn-Trafford School District that Harrisburg can keep this promise.”

Gov. Josh Shapiro’s proposed state budget includes an additional $1 billion to support the state’s 500 school districts. The budget also would set a flat payment of $8,000 for charter school tuition.

But the fate of Shapiro’s budget is in question, and Republicans in the state Legislature have made a considerably different counterproposal.

The board will vote on a final budget on June 10.

Elementary school roof project

The board also voted unanimously to submit a grant application to the state Department of Community and Economic Development.

The grant — from the department’s Public School Facility Improvement grant program — would be matched by the district to cover a $623,400 roof replacement project at Harrison Park Elementary School.

Although there are no major issues with the roof, Harris said it needs to be replaced before regular repair costs start adding up.

“We have a replacement cycle,” Harris said. “When warranties go off and we notice that we’re doing extra repairs, we know that it’s time to replace.”