In the Aug. 6 print issue, Sewickley Herald published an article titled “Quaker Valley calculates the tax impact for the proposed high school project.” Actually, the tax increases quoted were overstated.

Using the example of the mean assessed home valuation in QV of $227,850, the actual annual tax increase between today and 2024 (when the borrowing would be completed) would be $116.20/year for borrowing of $73 million, $182.28/year for borrowing of $87 million, and $218.74/year for borrowing of $95 million.

The higher tax increases quoted in the article represent the total tax increases between July 1, 2018, and July 1, 2024, rather than between July 1, 2020, and July 1, 2024.

In my opinion, there is no question the relatively small premium we will pay for a new school over the renovation of the 100-year old school will be a great investment. In this example, the monthly tax premium to build a new school, rather than putting $73 million into an old building, is only $5-$9 per month. Quaker Valley should move forward with the new high school project immediately!

All these facts and other relevant information are available on the QV website at qvsd.org. And additional information regarding the new high school can be found on the website of the community organization, QV Strong, qvstrong.org.

Don Birnie, member of QV Strong Steering Committee

Leet Township

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