William Penn hikes taxes to save sports and activities
LANSDOWNE » The William Penn School Board was confronted with two options when adopting its $93.8 million budget on Monday evening: Raise taxes to keep full-day kindergarten, sports and extracurricular activities in the schools, or keep burdened taxpayers happy with a lower tax increase that would, in turn, cut those programs.
Ultimately, the board voted to adopt its budget 8-1 with a 2.9 percent tax increase and most directors wanting to keep the aforementioned programs like the award-winning track and field team, marching band and speech and debate team intact. Solicitor David Conn reminded the board that it was only voting on how much to raise taxes, considering the money will be allocated as need be. Robert Wright was the sole dissenter on the budget.
The cash-strapped district has no fund balance to use to supplement the budget and was originally looking at a $3 million deficit in a $95.5 million spending plan. Added revenue from the tax increase will bring in an estimated $1.2 million from an increased millage rate of 45.01.
Savings were initially planned that where divided into two groups: Administrative and school safety officer reorganizations; and secondary savings which shaved money off Google Chromebook purchases, transportation, reducing kindergarten to half-day only and cutting student sports and activities. Primary reductions would save approximately $1.2 million in expenditures for the district with restructuring of positions eased by way of attrition.
“Administration is currently working on how and when the final reductions will go into effect,” business adminstrator A. Jeff Cuff in a Wednesday email. “With regards to other cuts to balance the budget we are still in the process of evaluating others areas that would be least impactful on students.”
The public filled the auditorium at Penn Wood High School for the board’s regular business meeting to air concerns about the plan with a variety of comments from taxpayers, students and the school board themselves lasting approximately 90 minutes.
“We have to give the kids the opportunity to cultivate and to love themselves and become something of themselves … give them a structured, narrow path to move forward,” said Penn Wood football head coach Kevin Williams. “By cutting athletics, extracurricular activities and as such, that’s cutting the kids legs right from under them.”
School board student representative Lowoe Samolu also harped on the important on keep activities in the school.
“Coming to Penn Wood High School, learning is the greatest foundation for why we’re here, but these extracurricular activities that we’re doing carry us through our four years of high school and beyond,” she said. “This is what helps us motivate to make something of ourselves.”
Arguing for taxpayers, some residents believed raising taxes again was too much, while one suggested holding the line, and another going for a maximum increase of 3.7 percent to keep all programs in the district.
Almost all directors were outspoken about their support to keep student activities in the district, but Wright found a fight between the two sets of people he represents: Taxpayers and students.
“I’m a little surprised … because I didn’t make the recommendations about what should be cut — sports and full-day kindergarten. I would not have made the decision to pit our children against our elders,” he said, before adding that the board has not presented any alternatives to seek other funding over the years.
William Penn, like most other districts in the state, are left to cover rising expenditures like charter and private school costs, state and federal mandates, retirement contributions and other areas without seeing much of a bump in funding outside of their own tax base. The district has long outsourced many of its services including transportation and food services over the years to save money.