During its monthly public meeting held on May 24, 2010, the West Chester Area School Board adopted a final budget totaling $203,076,641, which represents a 2.1% increase over the current-year budget. The 2010-11 increase for Chester County taxpayers will average $96, with an average increase of $28 for Delaware County residents. Two factors over which the district has no control helped drive the increase. The first is a significant jump in the district’s PSERS (Public School Employees’ Retirement System) contribution, which increased by $3.2 million, and the second is a rise of $2.3 million in special education costs. Without these items spending would actually have been reduced by $1.2 million.
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The PSERS contribution is dictated solely by the State of Pennsylvania and the district is legally bound to that amount. Special education spending is required by state and federal mandates which remain unfunded. Said Board President Jeff Seagraves, “While our district was faced with a number of mandated spending increases, we are extremely fortunate to be able to
offset most of those by relying on specific budget reduction suggestions made by our community task force.”
In September of 2009, the district established a Community Budget Task Force, and more than 150 residents volunteered 1,600 hours of time at meetings to find and report on areas in which budget reductions or revenue enhancements might be possible. To date more than $3.5 million in identified savings as submitted in the final report to the superintendent and school
board have been adopted for the budget.
More than 20 positions have been eliminated from district payrolls, through attrition and by not filling certain positions that became open. This has amounted to a savings greater than $1.5 million.
According to district Superintendent Dr. Jim Scanlon, “Our commitment from the beginning, and the direction given to the Community Budget Task Force, has been to maintain the integrity of the classroom while making the significant cuts necessary to balance the budget. The reductions adopted by the Board allow us to say we have been successful in doing that for the 2010-11 school year.”
The most critical source of funding for the district’s budget, local revenue, plunged 5% or nearly $1.4 million from the previous year. Declining property values that led to commercial and residential reassessments, and lower property transfer taxes due to fewer sales have cost the District nearly $67.0 million in total assessed property value that has further reduced tax collections. Lower earned income tax collections have also contributed to the decrease in revenues. Our usual State and federal subsidy amounts provide for only minimal increases, falling far short of keeping pace with government mandates such as special education.
Even with the district’s cost-cutting measures, severe financial pressures will cause the 2010-11 real estate tax rate for Chester County homeowners to increase by .51 mills - to 18.36 mills - up 2.8%. The rate for Delaware County will increase by .09 mills - to 14.25 mills - an increase of .7% over 2009-10.
With an average residential assessment of $189,950, the average real estate tax bill will be $3,343 for Chester County in 2010-11. In Delaware County, the average resident tax bill be $3,980 based on an average assessment of $289,443. Chester County taxpayers account for 95% of the District’s residential property tax revenue, made up from more than 29,000 residential
parcels. Delaware County accounts for the other 5% of residential parcels, totaling 1,600 homes. Delaware County taxpayers have actually experienced tax decreases in three of the last ten years. Of Chester County taxpayers, 64% will receive a tax bill of $3,480 or less for the 2010-11 schoolyear.
