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Littlestown parent urges board to use surplus to limit tax increases, prioritize classroom supports
Summary
Suzanne Johnson, a Littlestown resident and parent, told the Littlestown Area SD board she is frustrated by rising taxes, alleged increases in central-office positions, and slow implementation of classroom reading and science interventions, and urged using recent budget surpluses to reduce future ACTI bond-driven tax hikes.
Suzanne Johnson, a Littlestown resident and parent, used her allotted public-comment time at the Nov. 18 Littlestown Area SD meeting to urge the board to shift the district's budget priorities and use surplus funds to reduce future tax increases tied to the ACTI bond.
"I'm Suzanne Johnson, a Littlestown resident, and my child attends school in this district," she began. "As a tax parent, I am frustrated seeing taxes increase while our students continue to struggle with reading and math." Johnson said the district has introduced additional administrative positions and new assessment tools but has not moved quickly enough to implement evidence-based reading and science instruction or to provide needed co-teaching and classroom supports.
Johnson pointed to the district's recent surpluses — citing about $3,750,000 and $4,000,000 in previous years — and asked why some of those funds could not be earmarked to reduce the annual burden of the ACTI bond. "You're estimating that we'll have to pay over half a million dollars per year for 20, 25, 30 years for the ACTI bond payments," she said, and suggested that allocating increments from the surplus could cover some annual payments instead of raising taxes. She also noted that the district currently pays roughly $4,000,000 per year in bond principal and interest, which she described as "about 10% of our budget."
Johnson also raised operational concerns: she said the district is proposing $600,000 for new buses while facing driver shortages, and she urged the board to prioritize career and technical education rather than relying solely on capital projects. She asked the board to split future surplus allocations between capital reserves and the ACTI project to lessen immediate tax pressure.
The board did not take an immediate formal action in response to Johnson's remarks during public comment. Several administrators and board members later discussed motions related to fund transfers and capital-reserve allocations during the meeting.
