Greensburg Salem passes 2.5-mill tax hike after contested vote, executive session

The Greensburg Salem School Board approved a $53 million budget Wednesday with a 2.5-mill tax hike for the 2025-26 school year.

The average property owner with a median assessed value of $17,200 would see a $38 annual increase in their tax bills with a 2.5-mill tax jump — bringing the district tax levy to 94.72 mills, district Business Manager Allison Willis said.

For homeowners approved for the homestead/farmstead exclusion, the tax bill will would be reduced by $38.

Greensburg Salem has about 5,700 homestead/farmstead properties, she said. To apply for the exclusion, fill out the form on Westmoreland County’s website.

The approval came after about 30 minutes of public discussion and a 25-minute executive session.

One mill brings Greensburg Salem about $220,000. The average tax bill is $1,629, Willis said.

Emily Miller proposed a 3.8-mill increase to prevent the district from dipping into its savings to cover a $178,500 deficit and fund an additional teacher to maintain class sizes. No one seconded the motion.

The board entered an executive session to discuss how personnel changes might impact the budget, board President Jeff Metrosky said, before returning to reconsider the originally proposed budget and millage rate.

The budget passed in a 6-2 vote, and the millage increase passed in a 5-3 vote.

Budget sparks debate among board

Board members Lynn Jobe, Kacey Byrne-Houser, Frank Gazze, Metrosky, Robin Savage and Heather Shearer supported the budget. Emily Miller and Tyler Courtney were opposed.

Jobe, Byrne-Houser, Gazze, Metrosky and Shearer supported the tax hike. Miller, Courtney and Savage were opposed.

Board member Brian Conway was absent from the meeting.

The first vote on the budget resulted in a 4-4 tie with Jobe, Byrne-Houser, Gazze and Metrosky voting in favor. Miller, Savage, Shearer and Courtney opposed.

The first vote on the 2.5-mill tax hike failed 5-3 with Miller, Savage, Shearer, Courtney and Metrosky opposed. Jobe, Byrne-Houser and Gazze supported the tax increase. Metrosky said he voted against the increase because the budget was not approved.

Shearer said she would comment on why she changed her stance on the budget and tax hike via email. TribLive had not received a statement as of late Thursday.

District aims to cut cyber costs

The board approved a $54 million proposed budget May 14, tasked with closing a $2 million gap by end of June.

Alongside district administrators, Willis cut $913,000 from the budget’s expenses and added $950,000 to its revenue ahead of the final budget vote Wednesday.

The expense adjustments came from the loss of four teachers through retirement and resignation; eliminating one bus route to account for declining enrollment and adjusting a few special routes; reaching an official curriculum cost that is $100,000 less than the estimate initially budgeted; and a decrease in cyber school tuition through seniors who graduated this past spring.

Willis assured the board and residents the reduction in curriculum costs is not the result of cutting resources.

“This is just pairing down what we actually need from where the holding spot was on May 14,” she said.

The district aims to avoid replacing its cyber charter graduates with new cyber students, said Superintendent Ken Bissell — a move that could save the district $250,000 in cyber charter tuition costs.

“It’s a focus of the entire administrative team to do different than what we have for online learning,” Bissell said, “starting with a new online learning platform for Greensburg Salem that we believe offers more options for our parents and students that either require an online learning environment or they’re seeking, for whatever reason, an online learning environment.”

The district will revamp its online curriculum in the hopes of competing with the state’s 14 public cyber charter schools, Metrosky said.

But Bissell said the $250,000 in cyber charter tuition savings is not guaranteed.

“We’re working with the human element of families and parents and students,” he said, “but it’s on our end to make sure that they come into our systems.”

Bissell also plans to reach out to cyber charter families living in the area to encourage them to enroll in the district.

Greensburg Salem expects to pay about $3.1 million next school year for about 185 students to attend cyber charter schools, Willis said.

The district pays cyber tuition rates of $11,000 per regular education student and $28,000 per special education student, Bissell said. The tuition figures stand in stark contrast to the cost to educate a student through Greensburg Salem’s in-house online learning program — $3,200 per student.

Additional revenue identified

Willis said the district will receive an additional $400,000 from special bus route reimbursements that were not previously reported to the state. The 2.5-mill tax hike will generate an additional $550,000.

The adjustments brought the district’s 2025-26 revenue to $52.9 million — leaving a $178,500 deficit that will be absorbed by the fund balance.

The district’s savings stood at $4.1 million at the start of the 2024-25 school year, Willis said. An updated figure has not been calculated.

This story has been updated to reflect that it costs Greensburg Salem $3,200 to educate a student through its own online learning program. This is not what the district pays to educate a student in person.