Solehi Heads Toward No Tax Increase in 2013-2014 Budget

The Southern Lehigh School Board took a tiny step toward a zero tax increase budget Monday night, penciling in a budget vote on the agenda for its next meeting following a budget presentation by Jeremy Melber, Solehi director of business services.

Melber laid out the details of the administration’s proposed 2013-2014 budget, along with a five-year budget plan that showed the district’s path to a balanced budget in a combination of financial steps that includes spending down the district’s fund balance to cover the increasing costs of PSERS (Public School Employees' Retirement System) and employee health insurance costs. 

The 2013-2014 budget plan does not cut programs or teachers.

In a nutshell, here’s what residents need to know about the budget information Melber shared with the board Monday night: 

• $55.5 million overall budget for 2013-2014
• 0-mill proposed tax increase for 2013-2014. (The board passed a .5-mill tax increase in 2012-2013.)
• About $1.16 million from the district’s fund balance will be used to balance the 2013-2014 budget, leaving about $13.6 million to carry forward.
• Solehi has cut more than $4.5 million from the budget over the past two years, according to Melber.
• The $4.5 million figure includes another $957,528 in additional cuts in the proposed 2013-2014 budget. Some of those cuts come from a $111,000 reduction in building allocations and a 17 percent drop in electricity expenses.

Following the meeting, Melber said it is important to point out that the budget cuts he described during his presentation were made without cutting programs and teachers. “We’ve been able to maintain the level of education,” Melber explained.

A vote on the budget Melber presented to the board will be on the board’s agenda for its next meeting on April 8.