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Cheltenham board reviews proposed 3.5% property-tax increase to close roughly $5 million shortfall
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Summary
At its April 14 meeting the Cheltenham School District board heard a finance committee report proposing a 3.5% property-tax increase intended to cover an estimated $5 million annual shortfall; administrators said the proposed final budget will be reviewed further before a June vote.
Board member Zachary Epps, the finance affairs committee chair, outlined a proposed final budget that includes a recommended 3.5% increase in property taxes to address what he described as an approximately $5 million structural gap in the district’s finances. "On the revenue side, we there is now a proposed 3.5, percent tax increase for property taxes," Epps told the board, adding that projected enrollment-related savings and lower medical costs narrow the gap.
Epps said reduced elementary enrollment accounted for roughly $2.3 million in salary and benefit savings and estimated the tax increase would generate just under $3 million, bringing those items together to approach the shortfall identified in preliminary budget work. "If you add those two together ... that gets us almost to the ... shortfall," he said.
Superintendent Dr. Scriven and other board members emphasized the proposal is not the final tax decision. Board member Daniel Schulz underscored that "closer to the vote that this is not the passage of a tax increase" and that the board will have additional review opportunities. The district posted the proposed final budget on its website and scheduled additional committee review (financial affairs meets May 5) ahead of a formal final budget vote at the June legislative meeting.
Why it matters: the budget establishes staffing, programming and capital priorities across the district. Epps framed the document as a reflection of priorities: "where we spend our dollars primarily is in how students are supported, primarily the teachers that instruct them." Board members repeatedly urged community review and comment during the interim review period.
What’s next: the board will continue committee-level review and receive additional information on insurance, labor and enrollment trends. A final vote on the budget is scheduled for the June legislative meeting, where any tax action would be formally adopted.
