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Salisbury Township SD projects $1.6M from 5.3% tax increase; board debates adding fourth‑grade teacher
Summary
Finance staff presented final budget projections including a proposed 5.3% tax increase (about $1,595,000) and year‑end forecasts; board members pushed to consider funding an additional fourth‑grade teacher but administrators warned about sustaining recurring costs without confirmed state funding.
District finance staff told the Operations & Finance Committee on June 12 that a proposed 5.3% tax increase would generate about $1,595,000 under current millage rates and that year‑end projections are trending positive thanks to unexpected business privilege revenue.
Dawn, the district finance leader, summarized the budget drivers and fiscal outlook and flagged key uncertainties: the governor’s budget remained unsettled and a proposal to cap payments to charter schools at $8,000 (reported in the meeting as having passed the House but not the Senate) could change district obligations. On special‑education tuition to charter/cyber schools, Dawn stated: "Right now our calculation is $49,000 for a special ed student." That figure was presented to show how state changes could materially affect district payments.
Committee members and public commenters raised class‑size concerns. Parent Ellie Alcall had urged reallocating a fifth elementary teacher to fourth grade to reduce current fourth‑grade class sizes (reported as 26–27 students) rather than assigning that teacher to second grade. During the finance discussion board members pressed administrators about whether the district could fund an additional fourth‑grade teacher in the final budget.
Administrators said they recognize the instructional need but warned about sustainability. Dawn noted reductions in some federal funding and emphasized the risk of using non‑recurring funds (or dipping into fund balance) to pay for a recurring salary. The committee discussed the district’s fund balance history — an administrator said the district had been at about $178,000 several years ago and “now we're over $18,000,000” — but also cautioned that not all of that figure is unrestricted cash and that prior reliance on fund balance had created fiscal stress in the past.
Cost estimates in discussion put a fully loaded teacher position roughly in the range of $80,000–$100,000 depending on placement and benefits. Administrators said if state revenue increases materialize this summer they would prioritize adding the position, but they asked the board to avoid committing recurring payroll costs until the revenue picture is clearer.
The committee did not vote; staff said the final budget will come to the full board for approval next week and that administrators will return with recommendations if state funding changes.
