North Hills School District Tax Hike Looms

ROSS TOWNSHIP, PA - North Hills School District directors on June 8 are expected to adopt a 2017-18 budget with a 0.2-mill tax increase to 18 mills.

If the budget is approved as planned, taxpayers owning a home with a district median value of $137,500 will pay $2.26 a month extra in taxes or $27.14 annually. The district currently has the sixth-lowest millage rate among Allegheny County’s 41 suburban school districts, and the lowest millage rate among the nine northern area school districts.

The additional $520,000 in revenue generated by the tax hike will go to the district’s capital improvements fund to provide for future facilities improvements and renovations.

The tax increase will allow the district to add four new employees: an elementary music position, an elementary physical education position, an elementary special education position in the area of autistic support and a district-wide school nurse position. District officials say those positions are needed because of rising enrollment.

The budget also includes $216,000 for updated curriculum materials, $198,00 for new elementary teacher desktop computers and $115,000 to upgrade the Wi-Fi infrastructure in elementary buildings.

Photo by Airpix via Creative Commons.