Get AI Briefings, Transcripts & Alerts on Local & National Government Meetings — Forever.
East Allegheny SD reviews 1.49 millage proposal as deficit persists
Summary
District staff presented two real estate tax options — a 1.49 millage increase and a half‑index alternative — and warned the district faces a multi‑million dollar deficit exacerbated by the loss of federal ARP/ESSER funds and rising fixed costs.
At the East Allegheny School District board meeting, district staff presented preliminary real estate tax revenue estimates and two millage options to address a growing budget shortfall. The staff said a 1.49 millage increase would raise an estimated $765,073, producing projected real estate tax revenue of $14,179,468, while a half‑index option (0.7145) would raise about $382,269, projecting $13,769,664 in total real estate tax revenue.
The presentation listed steep fixed costs that recur annually — salary increases, health care costs (noted as up about 8 percent), debt service and charter school tuition (described as “well over $5,000,000 plus transportation” in past years) — and emphasized the district no longer has ARP/ESSER funding that contributed roughly $1.6 million net to last year’s budget.
A board member warned the district’s financial ratios resemble those of districts placed under commonwealth oversight and urged adopting the full index now to avoid a widening deficit. “At least for the preliminary, you gotta go to the index because if you don't get this deficit under control, at some point ... it's gonna implode and you're gonna have the state in there taking care of business for you,” the committee member said.
Administrators said other one‑off revenue sources used in past years — such as property sales and bond refinancing savings — are no longer available. The staff recommended finalizing numbers and said board members could submit questions by email before next Monday; several members asked the item be placed on next week’s agenda for further action.
Next steps: staff will supply requested cost comparisons and final millage figures for the board’s consideration at the next meeting. The board did not take a formal vote during this session.
