Jun 24, 2015 3 min read

WAYNESBURG – Central Greene School Board approved a tax increase Tuesday night on a budget that is expected to spend $33.34 million next school year.

This final budget, approved by a 6-3 vote, calls for a 0.6367-mill tax increase, meaning a homeowner with a property assessed at $50,000 will pay an additional $31.84 in school taxes next year. The budget will increase the property tax levy to 26.1044 mills.

Board members Andrew Corfront, Sharon Bennett, Kevin Barnhart, John Jacobs, Bridget Montgomery and John Bristor voted for the budget; voting against the it were Joe Ayersman, Eleanor Chapman and Roberta Boyd.

The tax increase still leaves a deficit of about $1.13 million in the budget, forcing the school district to pull $500,000 out of its debt service fund and $626,568 from its fund balance. That still leaves around $4 million in the fund balance.

Board member Roberta Boyd voted against the tax increase, stating the district’s tax rate is now one of the highest among the local school districts.

Business administrator Debbie Crouse said without this tax increase, the district would be forced to use more of its fund balance until it was whittled down to nothing, which would force the district into a situation she believed would be hard to recover from.

“We’re trying to keep it balanced,” Crouse said.

Superintendent Brian Uplinger said during the last month, the board and teachers have been looking at cost-saving options that would have the least impact on students. The board announced no programs have been cut in the budget and no teachers have been terminated.

Uplinger said this is due to having a number of teachers retire, which gave the board the option to fill or eliminate those positions. He also said students can expect to see larger class sizes.

The board approved the retirement notifications of six employees and the resignations of six other employees.

According to Crouse, the district will see major increases in spending for retirement and health care costs.

Last year, retirement costs went up 21.4 percent, and this year, they have increased by 25.84 percent. Health care costs are expected to increase between 3 and 5 percent.

Uplinger agreed personnel costs, including retirement and health care costs, have caused the most of the problems in the budget.

The board also said the budget includes the $14.32 million from the state. An increase in state funding is not expected this year but if additional money is received, the excess will replace money used from the fund balance.

The tax increase for the coming school year exceeds the state’s inflationary index, although the school board sought and received approval from the state for the increase. The district received two exceptions from the state for retirement and special education costs.