Mt. Lebanon staff present balanced $122.2 million budget; proposes 6.2% Act 1 tax increase for board consideration

District staff presented a final-budget proposal to the Mt. Lebanon School Board that projects $122,200,000 in total revenues and includes a proposed Act 1 index tax increase of 6.2 (1.7105 mills), estimated to raise about $4,200,000. The budget was presented to the board for consideration, not adoption.

The presenter told the board that the district balanced this budget without using fund balance or furloughing staff. Most revenue lines have been verified; the presenter said the state-revenue figure remained unverified because it depends on a pending state-level vote.

On expenditures, staff said earlier April projections showed about a $2,500,000 deficit but that further reductions produced a final balanced budget of $122.2 million. The presenter also described a current-year projected deficit of $1,100,000 in multi-year projections and listed assumptions through 2028: indexing real-estate tax increases, 1.5% state revenue growth, 1.5% earned-income tax growth, salary growth of about 2.75% annually, health-care cost increases of about 7% annually, other appropriations rising about 1.5%, and flat debt service. Staff stated a goal to build a fund balance of roughly $11.6 million by the end of the 2028 school year to improve long-term sustainability.

The presenter did not record a final vote during the presentation; the budget was described as "proposed to the board for consideration this evening." Board action (a vote or final adoption) was not included in the transcript.