Penn Hills school officials say more needs to be done after passing 2021-22 preliminary budget with nearly an 8% tax hike

Penn Hills School District officials have passed a preliminary budget for next school year that includes a tax hike of nearly 8%.

District Business Manager Eileen Navish assured those who attended the Feb. 17 special school board meeting that having a proposed spending plan approved in mid-February is just part of a process to seek tax hike exemptions from the state due to special-education and pension costs.

“We only do this to take advantage of the two exceptions,” she said. “This is not the final budget.”

The final budget will be passed in June.

State-appointed chief recovery officer Dan Matsook said the preliminary budget represents the “worst-case scenario,” and that financial figures from the state regarding education subsidies have not been finalized.

“There’s a lot of things that are going to happen over the next few months that’s going to change (the budget),” Matsook said.

The current real estate tax rate is 29.6965 mills. The tax increase in the preliminary budget is 2.2175 mills, for a potential rate of 31.914 mills.

A property owner of a home with an assessed value of $50,000 would pay $1,595 in school tax. That’s about $111 more than for this school year.

Projected revenues and expenses in the recommended scenario were balanced at about $89.46 million.

Not included: $7 million in expected revenue

The proposed budget does not include an estimated $5.7 million in federal emergency relief funds, nor does it have more than $1 million in state grants that state Sen. Jay Costa, D-Forest Hills, is expected to procure for the district.

Board President Erin Vecchio said that assistance alone should negate a tax hike for next school year, and she does not want to put an additional burden on taxpayers struggling because of the pandemic.

“I can guarantee you we’re not voting for a tax increase,” Vecchio said after the meeting. “We don’t need it because we’re in the black now. We’re doing everything right right now. We got that $5.7 million.

“I can’t ever imagine doing a tax increase on these people. So many people got laid off. We had to give so many free meals to people. It’s terrible the things that are going on in this world. You think I’m going to do a tax increase? Not happening, and other board members are not going for it, either.”

The board approved a 3.6% tax hike for this school year on June 29 despite the troubles families are going through as a result of the covid pandemic.

The district’s financial recovery plan calls for tax increases for at least the next few years.

Matsook announced at the Feb. 17 meeting that he is working on a revision to the plan, and will seek input from administration as well as the community the next several months.

The goal is to present recommendations to the board in April.

The board approved the plan in June 2019, and the state approved it the following month.

Advisory committee has new faces

Matsook’s special advisory committee has new members.

Board Vice President Jackie Blakey-Tate was appointed to replace former vice president Yusef Thompson Sr. on the committee. Thompson resigned from the school board in November.

Dara Allen, chief executive officer and principal of City Charter High School, was appointed to replace Charles Daane as the committee’s charter school representative. Daane moved out of the district.

Christine McClure was appointed to replace Adeshewa Metzger as community member. Metzger also moved out of the district.

Matthew Herdman, president of the Penn Hills Education Association, replaced former union president Rodlyn Checchio-Kunsa as the committee’s teacher representative.

The special advisory committee is expected to meet March 3.