Schools

School Board Reserves Right to Exceed State Tax Cap

A 6-3 vote at Monday night's East Penn School Board meeting gives district the option of exceeding 1.7 percent state tax increase cap for 2012-2013 budget.

The East Penn Board of School Directors Monday night decided, amid some contention, to keep its options open as it embarks on the first steps of the 2012-13 budget process. The board voted down, in a 6-3 decision, a resolution stating that it would not raise taxes above the district’s state-imposed 1.7 percent tax increase cap for the 2012-13 budget.

In layman’s terms, Monday night’s vote gives the option of increasing taxes by more than the state cap. It doesn’t require the district to do so and it doesn’t mean that it will. The discussion of the issue and the vote itself was a little complicated since a “no” vote would enable the district to go beyond the cap, while a “yes” vote was a vote in favor of staying within the 1.7 percent.

In expressing his intentions to vote against the resolution, school board member Alan Earnshaw alluded to the many unknowns that will shape the 2012-2013 budget and the unpleasant cuts the district was forced to make during the 2011-2012 budget cycle.

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“There are tremendous pressures,” Earnshaw said. “At this point, we don’t know what we are facing. I just think we need to give the administration the flexibility to apply for exceptions.

“Last year we made cuts that were somewhat uncomfortable, and that is not a fun experience for anyone. And, when you start eliminating the easy ones, you have to think about what comes next. If we tie the district’s hands, we may have to make some tough decisions. I am not willing to tie the district’s hands at this point. I want to give them the ability to apply for exceptions and then justify them, before we cut programs and curriculum,” he said.

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Rebecca Heid, the last school board member to speak before the roll call vote, echoed much of what Earnshaw said, but also put in a plug on behalf of the East Penn taxpayers.

“This is not an easy decision,” Heid said. “Most of us can agree that we don’t want to put extra burden on the taxpayers, but we need to balance what is the best for education and what is best for the taxpayers. Tonight I am not willing to tie the hands of the school district.

“But, I am imploring everyone on this board that if it is possible to stay within the index, please, please do it,” she said.

School board members Julian Stolz, Michael Policano and Lynn Donches voted in favor of the resolution.


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