Norwin school board Monday adopted a preliminary budget for 2016-17 that would raise the real estate tax rate by 2.26 mills and eliminate the middle school foreign language program.
If the budget gets final approval, the owner of a home in the district with a median assessed value of $21,630 would pay an additional $48.88 in taxes per year.
Administrators have cut $962,300 from the budget since the school board workshop meeting on May 9, interim business manager Jude Abraham said.
“The administration in the past week had to make some very difficult decisions,” superintendent William Kerr said.
All three full-time language teachers in German, French and Spanish at the middle school will be moved into teaching positions left open by retirements, high school principal Timothy Kotch said. A half-time Japanese language position also will be eliminated at the middle school, with the Japanese teacher continuing to teach classes at the high school, he said.
Japanese 2, 3 and 4 will be offered at the high school in 2016-17, but the district plans to phase out the Japanese program, Mr. Kotch said. One full-time French position at the high school will also be made half time.
In addition, he said, one full-time band percussion position will be made half time and one full-time substitute position in physical education will be cut.
Natalie McCracken, assistant superintendent of elementary education, said two long-term substitutes had been hired last year because of an increase in fourth-grade enrollment. With those students moving on to Hillcrest Intermediate School, the long-term sub positions have been eliminated.
Mrs. McCracken said the district will also save money by not replacing a sixth-grade teacher who is going on sabbatical.
Mr. Abraham said expenses in the preliminary budget are $67.4 million, and income is projected to be $66.2 million, with a gap of $1.2 million.
The 2.26-mill increase would generate $1.2 million, he said. That entire $1.2 million will be used to pay a one-year increase in district contributions to the underfunded Pennsylvania State Employees Retirement System, board President Bob Perkins said.
Mr. Abraham said with the $1.2 million increase, the district will pay more than $9.5 million into PSERS per year.
“Unless Harrisburg … handles this pension somehow, it’s going to be dire for school districts,” Mr. Perkins said.
Reserve funds will be used to support the budget. Mr. Kerr said the spending plan would leave $2.4 million in the district’s reserve fund.
The current tax rate for residents of the district who live in Westmoreland County is 72.95 mills, so the proposed increase would bring the rate to 75.21 mills. The district has 10 to 20 households in Allegheny County. The current tax rate for those families is 9.99 mills, and it would rise to 11.68 mills, according to the district.
Anne Cloonan, freelance writer: suburbanliving@post-gazette.com.
First Published: May 20, 2016, 4:00 a.m.
