Proposed 2017-18 budget adjusts tax rate
The Peters school board on Monday unanimously approved a $64.25 million proposed final budget for 2017-18 and plans to take a final vote on it in June.
The proposed general fund budget contains an adjusted property tax rate due to the reassessment of all properties in Washington County.
Previously, properties in the county had been assessed at 25 percent of their Jan. 1, 1981, market value. Starting in 2017-18, properties will be assessed at 100 percent of their July 1, 2015, market value. The change means that the total assessed property value in the county will go from about $348,000 to about $3.1 billion.
Whether a property owner's tax bill increases, decreases or stays about the same will depend on the assessment of the individual's home.
In the Peters district, the proposed new property tax rate for next school year is 12.89 mills. The current rate is 113.4 mills. For 2017-18, the school district tax bill on a home valued at $300,000 will be $3,867.
“We anticipate that Peters Township School District will continue to have one of the lowest millage rates in Washington County,” stated a budget presentation by the district. This year, Peters school district has the thirdlowest property tax rate in Washington County, with the California Area and Canon-McMillan districts having lower rates.
The property tax rate in the Peters district is also the lowest among neighboring Allegheny County school districts, with the rate in Bethel Park at 22.87 mills, Mt. Lebanon at 23.93 mills, Upper St. Clair at 24.33 mills and South Fayette at 26.7 mills.
The board also approved a proposed final capital projects budget of $1.4 million for 2017-18.
Also Monday, the board unanimously adopted the districtwide facility study done by Hayes Design Group of Pittsburgh and will continue to look into building a new high school.
In 2016, the district analyzed all five of its schools and available options to modernize the facilities.
The study showed the total district enrollment of 4,223 for 2016-17 is projected to decline to 3,797 by 2021-22. However, high school enrollment is projected to remain relatively the same during that time frame, with 1,484 students in grades 9-12 in the current school year and about 1,408 students projected for 2021-22.
According to the Hayes study, all district facilities contain spaces that support the educational programs and the current enrollment.
However, it states, “the existing high school is deficient in terms of the number of classrooms to support the desired program with reasonable schedule flexibility and is missing some types of spaces desired.”
Hayes provided the district with three options for dealing with the challenges of the high school: maintenance to the existing building at an estimated cost of $16.2 million; renovation of the existing building at an estimated cost of $77.7 million; or building a new high school at an estimated cost of $96.9 million.
The Hayes study states that although maintenance has the lowest cost, it “does nothing to address some of the shortcomings of the existing facility relative to the desired educational program.”
Renovation would address most of the desired program changes, but Hayes stated it would be a “congested site” and represent less long-term value.
Building a new school would address all of the district’s program needs, provide a new site with adequate space, and be more efficient in operation and maintenance.
The board agreed to look into the option of building a new high school.
The district is in the process of acquiring about 90 acres along East McMurray Road — the former Rolling Hills Country Club site. The township is purchasing half of the property for use as a park. The school district has previously said it would use its half of the property for “facilities use.”
Assistant superintendent Jennifer Murphy received a new five-year contract, from July 1 of this year to June 30, 2022, with an annual salary of $145,000.