Jun 4, 2015 2 min read

Washington School District passed a final budget for the 2015-16 school year that will hold taxes steady for the second year in a row.

School directors voted unanimously this week to pass a $26,244,955 budget, which keeps real estate taxes at 133 mills. Taxes were last raised by three mills for the 2013-14 school year.

“We’re just pleased that we’re able to hold the line for the second year in a row,” said Richard Mancini, director of district operations.

Mancini said the district did encounter some tangles while balancing the budget, but a high number of retirements allowed it to cut costs because it had planned ahead.

“The three big areas (of expense) are always salaries, pension costs and health care,” Mancini said. “Fortunately, we had a large number of retirements, so we had 10 to 12 different people over this past year who either resigned, retired or took other jobs, so that was a real blessing in the budget.”

Superintendent Roberta DiLorenzo added, “In practicing continual, responsible fiscal management, we are one of the few districts that have set aside funds for increases in retirement costs.” Those funds were set aside in the past three to four years.

The district recently renovated its elementary and high school buildings, and work is being completed to install turf and new bleachers at the stadium.

Mancini said the budget accounts for a new math teaching position at the high school. A donation of more than $19,000 to Citizens Library was also included in the budget.

“I believe that, given the uncertainty of the governor’s budget as well as Washington’s economic status, this feat deserves mention,” DiLorenzo said of the balanced budget. “We continuously provide the citizens of Washington with optimum management of finances. In doing so, we have not compromised our educational delivery.”