Resident urges Pine‑Richland board to draw on reserves or cut expenses before taxing residents
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Summary
A resident told trustees the district's reserve (about $30 million) is largely funded by taxpayers and urged the board to pursue expense reductions rather than recurring tax increases; the board said it will revisit historical attachments and provide more detail in the regular meeting.
During the public‑comment portion, Kathleen Ravati of Pine Township urged the board to prioritize expense‑reduction strategies and questioned reliance on a large reserve fund funded by taxpayers. Ravati said, by her estimate, a reserve near $30,000,000 places Pine‑Richland at about 28% of operating revenue and compared that figure with several neighboring districts, citing lower reserves in examples such as North Allegheny and Shaler.
Ravati said the district should not "keep turning to the taxpayers" to cover shortfalls and urged the board to examine alternative expense strategies, noting recent large teacher raises and certain capital expenditures cited by residents. Her remarks sought more transparency and additional review of expense options before pursuing tax changes.
Board members thanked Ravati and said materials — including a historical snapshot attachment maintained by staff — will be revisited in the regular meeting; trustees noted the district has had one tax increase in 13 years and said they will bring forward the historical attachment for further discussion.