Jun 15, 2015 2 min read

McMURRAY – When Peters Township School Board votes on its final budget for the upcoming school year at its June 22 meeting, homeowners will likely see their property taxes go up by 3.61 mills.

The proposed final budget was presented to the board at its meeting Monday. While no one likes a tax increase, for township homeowners the impact should be minimal. Real estate millage would rise from 107.142 mills to 110.758 mills, meaning for every $500 currently paid in property tax, a homeowner’s tax bill would increase by $16.88. For example, a homeowner paying $2,000 would see an increase of $67.52.

By comparison, the millage rate in Peters is lower than the Chartiers-Houston, Charleroi, Canon-McMillan and Burgettstown districts.

The $59.1 million budget’s biggest cost drivers for 2015-16 school year are staff salaries. Those costs are dictated by the union contract and cannot be changed. Staff salaries are expected to exceed $3.6 million. Also, the district’s contribution to the Public School Employees’ Retirement System will now account for 25.84 percent of the budget, up $1.7 million from the current year. And special education costs now account for 10 percent of the overall budget and state reimbursement for services remains flat.

“Per pupil costs are increasing due to contractual costs, despite an enrollment that is slightly down,” said Shelly Belcher, district spokeswoman. Per student expenditure is expected to total $14,029, up 5.15 percent, or $675, the district said.

Sources of revenue for the district are also shrinking. For example, revenue from taxable property is rising slightly, but at a lesser rate than previous years. Local revenue accounts for 78.5 percent of the district’s overall budget, while state provides 22.67 percent of the district’s revenue. The remainder comes from the federal government and other sources.