Whitehall-Coplay board puts 4.6% preliminary tax increase on June 9 docket

The Whitehall-Coplay Board of School Directors on May 19 agreed to place a preliminary tax-rate increase of about 4.5 to 4.6 percent on the agenda for a special meeting on June 9 to finalize the district budget.

Board discussion opened after district staff reported no new state reporting affecting the budget. “I would like to propose a budget number of 4.5 percent or 4.6% and put that on the docket for our June 9,” a board member said during the meeting. Board members were told the figure can still be adjusted downward before the June meeting.

Why it matters: the school board must set a preliminary tax-rate notice under Pennsylvania’s Act 1 process before final adoption. The proposed percentage affects the district’s property tax levy and the amount the district would request from taxpayers in 2025–26 if the board finalizes that number.

Details from the meeting: district staff said there were “no changes at this time” in state reporting that would alter revenue assumptions. The board referenced the Act 1 index and prior presentations that included several illustrative tax-rate scenarios. One board member reminded colleagues the number could be adjusted at the June 9 meeting.

Next steps: the board scheduled a special meeting for June 9 to finalize the budget and complete required paperwork for tax-rate certification. Officials did not finalize a single percentage at the May 19 meeting; the board put the 4.5–4.6% range on the docket for further review at the June 9 meeting.

Meeting context: the budget discussion followed the evening’s presentations and public comment period and was a focused agenda item; no final tax-rate motion was adopted on May 19.