Ridley School District residents look at a tax hike

The Ridley School Board gave final approval at its June meeting to a final 20182019 budget listing expenditures of $107,579,727, which is $27,727 more than the proposed budget adopted last month by the board. The real estate millage rate will increase by 0.83 mills for a total millage rate of 40.73 mills, or $4.07 for each $100 of assessed property value. The millage increase means an increase of $84 for a house assessed at the district average of $100,000.

District Superintendent Lee Ann Wentzel noted in part that local revenue will increase because interest earnings are going up due to changing investment rates. The new budget also reflects an overall debt service decrease of 2.72 percent. There is also an increase of $3,890,203 in the district’s total taxable assessed value.

“Additional revenue streams will be continued through the annual technology fee for families and the resale/recycle collections generated in the technology plan,” Wentzel said in her budget report. “... we continue to aggressively apply for alternative funding streams through grant opportunities. We are pleased to report that our efforts are having positive results. We are seeking additional large sum grants for the 2018-2019 school year.”

The revenue side of the new budget also includes $1,593,439 from a portion of the district’s fund balance, something the district has done in previous years.

Wentzel outlined reasons that are causing increased costs for the district, including $1,092,845 in additional pension costs due to the increasing employer (district) share that shows a 6.55 percent increase. The district’s salary structures reflect a 3.8 percent increase, and an increase in the high school enrollment requires 4.5 staff positions and the addition of a teacher on special assignment to assist the elementary teachers with technology integration.

“Special and technical education expenditures continue to climb without corresponding funding support from federal resources, resulting in another 4.06 increase in costs,” Wentzel said. “The increases include three new special education teaching positions to meet the state-mandated caseload requirements.”

Capital improvement projects include Ridley Middle School auditorium lighting, and other security projects.

“Special and technical education expenditures continue to climb without corresponding funding support from federal resources, resulting in another 4.06 increase in costs.” — District Superintendent Lee Ann Wentzel