T/E School Board Proposes Tax Increases In Budget Plan

TREDYFFRIN, PA - The Tredyffrin/Easttown Board of School Directors held a special meeting on January 4, 2016 to consider the 2016-2017 preliminary budget, the school district announced Thursday morning.

State law requires all public school districts to adopt a preliminary budget at this time of year if the school district wishes to explore the option of a tax increase that may include revenue from exceptions to Act 1, the Taxpayer Relief Act.

The School Board voted 9-0 to authorize the administration to display a proposed 2016-2017 preliminary budget that includes revenue from an increase in the property tax rate of approximately 4.3%.

The proposed preliminary budget uses property tax revenue from the Act 1 index of 2.4% and property tax revenue from allowable exceptions to Act 1 of 1.9% to close the projected budget imbalance of approximately $4.75 million. The adoption of a preliminary budget does not commit a local school district to any tax increase. The actual tax rate is determined by the Board no later than June 30, 2016after a series of public meetings and budget workshops.

The Board also authorized the administration to provide public notice that the Board will consider adoption of the preliminary budget at its regular meeting on January 25, 2016; and to publish notice of the Board’s intent to file for referendum exceptions with the PA Department of Education.

The 2016-2017 proposed preliminary budget is available for inspection at the T/E School District Administration Offices and on the District web site at www.tesd.net.

The budget will be on the agenda at the upcoming January 19, 2016 Finance Committee meeting at7:00 p.m. in the T/E School District Administration Offices.

The T/E School Board and administration will continue to work towards balancing the budget and determining a final tax rate between now and final budget approval in June 2016.

The T/E School Board encourages public participation during the budget development process so that the budget reflects the input of joint stakeholders.

All School Board committee meetings are open to the public and have public comment periods. Meeting dates and agendas are available on the T/E School District web site at www.tesd.net. In addition, public comments may be submitted to Arthur J. McDonnell, Business Manager, at mcdonnella@tesd.net or to the T/E School Board at schoolboard@tesd.net.