Moon Area School Board Approves Final Budget

The Moon Area School Board approved a final $63.474 million budget Monday night without a tax increase for the 2013-14 school year. 

The board voted 7-1 to approve the budget, which lowers the millage rate from 21.30 to 18.1167 due to the court-ordered Allegheny County reassessments.

School directors opted not to levy the .3623-mill tax increase the district qualifies for under the state Taxpayer Relief Act or Act 1. The budget also does not include an additional .2827-mill exception allowed due to increased employee retirement benefit costs.

School Director Jerry Testa cast the only opposing vote on Monday, after previously contending that taxes should be raised to the maximum increase permitted. School Director Sam Tranter was absent. 

At 18.1167 mills, a property owner assessed at $155,000--the median value in the district--would pay $2,808 in taxes. About 7,400 Moon and Crescent property owners who filed under the Act 1 homestead exemption will also see a $129.67 reduction on their tax bills. 

One mill is worth about $2,214,900 for Moon Area.

The 2013-14 budget marks a 1.8 percent increase over the previous year’s spending plan, which totaled $62.4 million. 

School officials said the increase is mainly due to higher costs of employee salaries and benefits, which make up the largest budgetary expense at nearly $27 million and $12.9 million, respectively. 

Retirement benefit costs increased 37 percent due to increased district contributions to the Pennsylvania School Employees Retirement System (PSERS). 

The budget also funds a new math curriculum adoption for kindergarten through sixth grades, and allots $250,000 toward a district-wide technology upgrade. 

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