Jan 5, 2016 2 min read

In what could be called a good-news, bad-news scenario, Peters Township School Board passed a resolution Tuesday that it would not ask for a special exception that would allow it to raise taxes above the state Department of Education index of 2.4 percent.

But, the board is considering raising taxes by 1.55 mills, which means an increase of less than $100 a year for a homeowner who pays about $3,000 a year in taxes to the district, said Shelly Belcher, a district spokeswoman.

In December, Superintendent Jeannine French unveiled a 2016-17 preliminary budget, which included a shortfall of $519,997. District officials also noted that employee wages are projected to increase by $804,178 for the next school year.

The state has an index that they set for all school districts. School districts can raise taxes within that index without going to a referendum vote, Belcher said. But, the state also allows exceptions to the index in three areas, special education, construction and retirement without a referendum vote, she said. The district has raised taxes beyond the index for retirement funding and special education for the past several years, she said.

Added to the mix is the fact the district and the teachers union have yet to reach an agreement on a new contract and are now proceeding to nonbinding arbitration. The district will be represented by its solicitor, Gretchen Love, and the teachers, which went on a 21-day strike in November, will be represented by Paul Homer of Peters Township Local 3431 of the American Federation of Teachers. A neutral, third-party panelist as not yet been named, Belcher said. If an agreement is not reached between the two sides, a second strike could take place, possibly in the spring.