Shaler Area board pivots from maximum property tax increase to none in proposed budget

After considering a 2025-26 budget with a maximum allowable property tax increase, a majority of the Shaler Area School Board on Wednesday, May 21, approved a proposed final budget with no tax increase.

While that may have met with the approval of residents concerned about the prospect of their property taxes increasing for the third year in a row, some board members were worried about drawing down the district’s reserves to cover a deficit and how it would pay for a renovation project at the middle school.

The budget vote came after the board voted down the 2025-26 budget for the A.W. Beattie Career Center and also rejected a four-year, $558,442 lease with Apple Financial Services, mostly for student and teacher iPads.

The $102.2 million proposed final budget was approved on a vote of 6-3. Voting in favor were James Tunstall, Eileen Phillips, Elizabeth Dunn, James Burn Jr., Edward Kress and Todd Saulle; voting against were April Kwiatkowski, Jason Machajewski and Dorothy Petrancosta.

The district’s property tax rate would remain unchanged at 26.3391 mills.

In April, the preliminary budget had proposed a 4.9% property tax increase, the highest the district is allowed by its state-imposed inflation limit. That would increase the tax rate by 1.29 mills, to 27.6297 mills. For a home at the district’s $130,000 median assessed value, it would add $168 to the annual tax bill, increasing it from $3,424 to $3,592.

According to a presentation to the board, that increase would allow the district to balance its budget without cutting any student programs, supports or extracurricular activities while preserving the district’s fund balance.

With no tax increase, the district would have a $2.6 million deficit that would have to be covered from its $8.4 million fund balance, expending about 31% of the fund.

The board had five tax increase scenarios to consider, with three options — 1.27%, 3.04% and 4% — between no increase and the 4.9% maximum.

Dunn, who made the motion for no tax increase, said that while the board needs to continue discussing its budget leading up to its final approval on June 18, state legislators are the only ones who can solve the problem of school funding.

“I have some ideas,” she said. “We need to stop and figure it out.”

Petrancosta said she was going to vote no for the budget all along, even with no tax increase. She expressed concern about the district having multiple balloon debt payments in the future and said it should reevaluate or scale back a $22 million to $26 million project at the district’s middle school.

The school board in January approved starting the design phase of an HVAC and roofing replacement project and related renovations with HHSDR Architects & Engineers.

Superintendent Bryan O’Black said the middle school project began with replacing the roof, which is 28 years old and leaking. Installing air conditioning was added along with flooring, ceilings and lighting, and moving part of the office from the middle of school to the front.

The roofing and HVAC work account for $15 million to $18 million of the total, which he put at $27 million.

While raising taxes hurts, drawing down the district’s fund balance by $2.5 million would hurt students and the day-to-day operations of the district, Machajewski said.

“Is there a middle ground?” he asked, wanting to consider a “minimal” tax increase of 1.27%. His attempt to have the board vote on that was not considered.

“We are here to serve the public. We are here to serve our children,” he said. “The children don’t have a vote.”

Don Andrezjwski of Shaler, a 1978 graduate, was among residents expressing concern at the prospect of another increase of the district’s property tax rate, which he said is already on the high side compared to other districts in Allegheny County.

“I just look and say this is not sustainable. Where does this end?” he said. “I would challenge the board to look at belt-tightening and whatever we can do to control costs. I don’t think this is sustainable.”

A.W. Beattie budget rejected

The Shaler Area School Board voted 2-7 against the A.W. Beattie Career Center’s 2025-26 budget. The district’s total contribution is about $1.1 million.

Machajewski and Tunstall were the only votes in favor.

Petrancosta was the most outspoken against, concerned that A.W. Beattie will draw down its reserves while the North Allegheny School District takes eight years to pay back nearly $700,000.

North Allegheny owes that money after the discovery of a clerical error that resulted in the district not paying its proper share for more than four years. Because of that, the eight other districts that send students to A.W. Beattie paid too much.

While a “no” vote does not change what Shaler Area pays or affect the ability of its students to attend the school, Petrancosta said it sends a message about how the matter was handled.

Tunstall noted the other member districts, including Shaler, were immediately made whole. Shaler was given a $139,311 credit toward its 2025-26 contribution.

Lease of iPads rejected

The board split 5-4 rejecting a four-year lease agreement with Apple Financial Services that would have cost the district about $139,610 each year with no interest.

The lease would have included 970 iPads with keyboard cases for students in kindergarten, fifth grade and ninth grade; 140 iPads with keyboard cases for teachers; five Mac Minis for the technology department; and five MacBook Air laptops for teachers. The district would own them at the end of the lease.

The majority rejecting the lease were Dunn, Burn, Kress, Petrancosta and Saulle; voting in favor were Kwiatkowski, Machajewski, Phillips and Tunstall.

Kress tried to have the vote delayed, saying he needed more time and did not feel comfortable voting on it, but his motion failed.

Dunn noted the price, on average, came out to about $500 per device. O’Black said devices will be needed for state testing and that students also need them to access resources online.