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Washington Township board agrees to file application seeking $5.29 million tax-levy increase amid budget shortfall
Summary
Board members agreed on scenarios to increase the district tax levy and staff said an application would be filed with the state commissioner the night of the meeting. The move follows a state calculation that allowed up to $10 million in additional levy and triggered public debate about program cuts, staffing and transparency.
The Washington Township Board of Education agreed to add scenarios to its tentative budget and to file an application with the state commissioner of education seeking a $5,292,000 increase in the district tax levy, a staff member told the board during the public meeting. State calculations showed the district could request as much as $10 million because the current budget was below the state adequacy threshold.
The resolution matters because any approved levy increase would raise local property taxes and could change which staffing cuts or program reductions the district pursues. The board and administrators framed the filing as an attempt to avoid deeper immediate reductions after committees ran multiple scenarios showing painful staffing cuts.
A staff member who spoke about the resolution said, “we were able to increase the tax levy approximately $10,000,000 million dollars” and added the board was “actually asking for a total increase of 5,292,000 and some change,” with the state offering about $252,000 in incentive aid to offset the increase.
Several residents said the budget process has been unclear and pressed for more itemized financial information. “How do you know where the money’s going if you don’t even have your audit yet?” resident Randy Ford asked, saying taxpayers deserved a line-by-line accounting of prior spending and the district audit.
Teachers, support staff and union representatives warned that cuts to intervention services, arts and other programs would harm students. A teacher who described herself as an interventionist said, “these programs are not luxuries… they are proven, high-impact tools that drive student achievement,” and urged the board not to reduce those services. Rob Scardio, vice president of the Washington Township Education Association, urged the board not to cut secretarial staff and described secretaries as carrying substantial added responsibilities.
Administrators described the procedural timeline: the district submitted a tentative budget to the county office in March; the county office was reviewing it; if approved it must be advertised and the public hearing was scheduled for April 29, the staff member said. The staff member also said auditors upload prior-year financial information by Jan. 1, and that audited figures feed into the budget software used to prepare the current budget.
Public speakers recommended alternatives to cuts, including pursuing grants and other revenue sources; some urged a board retreat to craft a longer-term plan that would avoid recurring, reactionary tax increases. Board members who opposed the size of the increase said they feared the request would worsen the district’s fiscal position next year if it did not accompany a multiyear plan.
The board’s public discussion ended with the staff member saying an application would be filed the night of the meeting. The board scheduled the required public hearing for April 29 and will carry forward the scenarios discussed at the meeting.
