North Allegheny School Board OKs 2025-26 budget with no tax increase for 3rd year

The North Allegheny School Board unanimously approved its 2025-26 budget of $204,355,366 on June 11 that keeps real estate taxes at 19.74 mills.

“This is the third year we will not be raising our millage rate, and I think that’s quite an accomplishment given the big hit we took in the common level ratio affecting our real estate income,” said Elizabeth Warner, board president.

The common level ratio lawsuits in Allegheny County reflect appeals from homeowners they pay on property taxes, of which a refund is issued if successful.

The board thanked the North Allegheny finance department for its work.

“You guys have done a great job staying on the budget, and I look forward to that continuing,” Warner said.

Board member Elizabeth Blackburn also took a moment to comment on North Allegheny paying back nearly $700,000 in tuition to A.W. Beattie Career Center, which undercalculated the number of North Allegheny students who attended there from 2021 to 2024.

The nine member school districts pay Beattie based on an average number of high school students who attend the career center, which is in McCandless.

The error was made by the Beattie administration, Blackburn said.

Because North Allegheny wasn’t paying enough, the eight other districts that belong to A.W. Beattie were paying too much. Those eight districts will get that money back as a credit on their payments for the 2025-26 school year, according to a TribLive report May 15.

The credits being issued to the other districts are Shaler Area, $139,311; North Hills, $132,810; Deer Lakes, $95,864; Hampton, $83,831; Northgate, $63,897; Pine-Richland, $56,843; Avonworth, $49,703; and Fox Chapel Area, $47,634.

The nine school districts contribute toward Beattie’s operating budget and debt service based on a five-year average of student enrollment.

North Allegheny will pay what it owes over eight years, having it paid in full by July 31, 2033, said district spokesman Randy Gore.

Blackburn said the agreement is favorable to North Allegheny, which obtained an interest-free loan to pay back the money to Beattie.

She emphasized that it was Beattie’s accident, and that North Allegheny gave them the correct numbers every single year.

“They accepted 100% responsibility,” Blackburn said.

It can be a challenge for Beattie administrators to determine the number of students who attend each year because students may not return for the second semester or they move out of the area, for example, she said.

She noted the loan is very fair.

“We are not on the losing end in paying this money back,” Blackburn said.

Warner agreed.

“The agreement we have is favorable to North Allegheny,” Warner said.

Out of the nine districts, North Allegheny’s share is the most at $1.6 million, according to Beattie’s 2025-26 budget. The next highest contributor is North Hills at $1.3 million, then Shaler at $1.09 million.

The participating districts contribute a total of $7.6 million, including about $1.4 million for bond debt.

The next North Allegheny School Board meeting will be at 7 p.m. Aug. 6 in the administration offices along Hillvue Lane.