Schools

School Board Adopts Preliminary Budget

As proposed, the spending plan calls for a 1.7 percent tax hike.

Hatboro and Horsham homeowners can expect to pay higher school taxes under ’s $86.2 million preliminary budget, which the board adopted Monday night. 

The average Hatboro homeowner would pay an additional $51.43 and the average Horsham property owner would pay an extra $75.63 provided the final budget – slated for a June 18 adoption – calls for the same tax levy. The increase represents $42.40 per every $100,000 of assess property value, according to Director of Business Affairs Bob Reichert.

The potential tax boost represents a millage increase from 24.992 to 25.416, which is equivalent to a 1.7 percent increase, according to Reichert. Under Act 1, a state law that sets maximum tax-raising thresholds, 1.7 percent is the cap for a tax increase without applying for an exception, according to Superintendent Curtis Griffin.

Find out what's happening in Hatboro-Horshamwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Before Act 1, “there was no limit,” Griffin said of tax levies in the past.

Griffin said the budget takes into account a reduction of staff by 5 or 5.5, amounting to about $300,000. He said “definitely” six positions will be eliminated.

Find out what's happening in Hatboro-Horshamwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Many of the planned cuts are being handled by attrition, or had been planned for with the use of a long-term substitute teacher, he said.  

“We then are typically losing an employee who’s at the top of the scale,” Griffin said of retirements. “Financially, it’s in the district’s best interest.”

At this point, Griffin said he does not know how many retirements to expect prior to budget finalization. Last year, as part of the . He told Patch last month that three of the positions eyed for cutting are held by long-term subs.

Griffin said he’s seeking official board action during the May 21 meeting in terms of program and staff reductions. In the meantime, Griffin said he intends to meet with staff and “talk about the status of where we are on all of these.”

If furloughs are needed, Griffin said he hopes they can be undertaken by mid-June or early July. 


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