Budget proposal with tax hike advances

Four new staff positions planned

The North Hills school board last week approved a proposedfinal budget that, if it remains unchanged, will resultin an average tax increase of$25 for property owners.

Final approval of the 201718 budget is scheduled for June 8.

The$79.19 million spending plan comes with a 0.2-mill increasein the property tax rate, bringing the rate to 18 mills. Themillage increase is 1.1 percent,half of what the district is allowedunder state Act 1.

The increase would cost a resident with the median home value of $135,000 an additional $25 per year.

“I think that’s a fair shake because I think all those homes are going to increase in value more than $25. Home values are skyrocketing in North Hills,” board member Lou Nudi said at the May 4 meeting.

Board president Ed Wielgus commended administrators and board members who served on the budget committee for paring down the original $3 million deficit. “That wasno small task,” he said.

The millage increase will raise $520,000, all of which will be put into the capital improvements fund for future work on facilities.

Four new staff positions are included in the budget because of increasing enrollment — a districtwide school nurse and elementary music, physical education and specialeducation teachers.

The largest chunk of the budget increase is due to increases in pension obligations. North Hills will transfer $1.29 million to the budget from a fund balance set aside specifically for pension costs.

“We planned for that pension increase and we are continuing to stick to that plan,” said Annette Giovengo Nolish, chair of the budget committee. “It really helped this districtover the long term.”

The budget also includes $115,000 to add Wi-Fi access points and upgrade the wireless infrastructure in all elementary schools; $89,576 for 12 laptop carts with 336 laptops for all elementary buildings; $4,250 for iPad charging cabinets for third-grade classrooms; $198,000 for elementary teacher desktop computers; $216,192 for new curriculum materials for elementary science and secondary English and business courses; and $32,894 for an elementary computer literacy curriculum.

One mill is estimated to bring in $2.6 million in the district.

David Hall, business manager,said the district may not know the amount of state funding by June 8. “It might be a little clearer by then, but I think we will have to go to ourbest guess,” he said.

Mr. Wielgus said trying to formulate a budget without knowing how much money is coming from the state is “a crapshoot.”

Sandy Trozzo, freelance writer: suburbanliving@post-gazette.com.