What does Wolf's Proposed Budget Mean for East Penn?

The days following Governor Wolf’s budget address have been filled with positive and negative soundbites about what has been proposed. The spread sheets and numbers are now available and it is time to talk about the facts. Two facts for certain are that the residents of the East Penn School District would see a decrease in property tax and an increase in state funding.

Property Tax

According to the East Penn School District website, the 2014-2015 budget derived 76.8% of its revenue from local property tax compared to 22.3% from the state. The proposed Wolf budget decreases East Penn property tax by 21.08% a total of $13, 350, 839.

Basic (B.E.F.) and Special Education Funding

The proposed Wolf Budget increases district state funding for B.E.F. and Special Education by 7.64% totaling $1,089,000. According to the available numbers, East Penn would receive the largest percent funding increase in Lehigh County.

Charter School Tuition Savings

Presently, the district has budgeted $3,816,800 for charter tuition; an increase of 6.1% from a year ago. The Wolf proposal reforms cyber charter tuition by ending the pension double dip and sets the per pupil tuition rate at $5,950 annually. The cyber tuition reform would be worth $368,607 savings to East Penn.

During the months ahead, the state legislature will hold bi-partisan budget hearings where changes will be enacted. It will be interesting to see the impact that the final state budget has on East Penn. In any case, starting the budget season looking at a decrease in property tax as well as a significant increase in state funding is a very different outlook compared to recent years.