Zero school tax increase passes at DV

By Anya Tikka
MILFORD — The Delaware Valley school board passed a budget with a zero percent tax increase.
The board had earlier considered an increase of between 0.68 percent and 1 percent. After the business manager’s tax increase proposal in late April, several members asked for more time to look into all the variables. Several board members expressed concern about any tax increases at all.
Enrollment is on a downward trend, a factor in deciding what programs to continue and what improvements to take on. From a high of 5,760 in 2006-07, DV estimates the coming year's enrollment to be 4,614.
Costs to be reduced to get to zero are in the areas of cyber school tuition, energy, technology equipment, fuel, and pension contributions, bolstered by $50,000 taken from budgetary reserves. The reductions total $878.600.
There were some increases too, for textbooks, energy for the new campus buildings, vocational education competitions, including travel, and other competitions. The increases amount to $200,000.
Salaries and benefits continue to be the biggest item, claiming 78.38 percent of the budget.
Some positions will be cut, and new positions will see hires, with net salary decrease of $126,000.
The Public School Employees Retirement System expenditure will increase 1.90 percent from the current year, a point of contention among board members in the view of the state's $60 billion shortfall afflicting schools across Pennsylvania. DV's finance committee chair, John Fisher, has been urging the board to pay more toward the shortfall.
The proposed increase of 0.61 percent, or $17.85 per average household, was defeated by majority vote in May. A $1.85 million shortfall is reported for the start of the next academic year, according to the district’s public documents.
The millage rate for next year stays at 108.19 mills.
DV's budget won’t be finalized until June 16. It awaits the final approval of the state budget and other factors.