Residents speak out against proposed Monessen school tax increase
By Morgan Cushey
For the Observer-Reporter
newsroom@observer-reporter.com
MONESSEN – Community members packed the meeting room Monday at Monessen School Board’s meeting to express their concerns regarding a large proposed tax increase in the preliminary budget for the 2017-18 school year and to express their desire for a merger.
At last month’s meeting, the board voted to introduce a preliminary budget with a property tax rate of 110 mills, a 52 percent increase from the current 72.41 millage rate. The board will vote to adopt the budget Feb. 14.
Business manager Jeff Festor said with all of the uncertainty at the state level district officials wanted to leave a margin open in case it will need to apply for an exception from the Act 1 index limits. Festor said the 110-mill property tax rate is preliminary and the tax rate will not be set until June.
“At the end of the day, there is no intention of having a budget increase of 52 percent,” Festor said.
He explained that the district is required to turn in a preliminary budget to the state and in order to do that, the budget has to be balanced. In order to balance the budget with the current figures available, the district increased the local revenue from propeerty taxes, raising it much higher than it may actually be depending on other funding sources.
Festor said it could take anywhere from a few days to a week for them to start receiving the data from the state budget after it was released Tuesday, and that information will then be used to adjust the district’s budget.
Dorothy Urbanowicz, who said she is a senior citizen taxpayer, addressed the board with her concerns about the potential tax increase.
“When I can’t afford something in my house, I learn to do without it. We cannot afford this school district anymore,” Urbanowicz said. She said many senior citizens are supporting the district with limited incomes she said they can’t afford any further increases.
Norbert Vesely, a former board member, raised concerns about staffing in addition to the potential tax increase. He said the district had sole principals in the past who managed 500 or 600 students within the elementary school. He asked the board why the district needed two principals for one school with a smaller student population.
Vesely also addressed his concerns regarding the tax increase and inquired about the district’s shortfall. Vesely said the district, “must be short or they wouldn’t be asking for a 52 percent increase.” Festor said the shortfall is estimated at about $2 million.
Vesely said, based on his own calculations, the tax increase will bring the district $1.6 million, leaving it $400,000 short. Vesely said this would force the district to reach into the fund balance to make up the difference.
“The higher you raise taxes, the less people you’re going to have paying them,” Vesely said.
Chad Carroto, a member of the Monessen Education Reform Group, asked the board to explore all options, including a merger, to increase the educational opportunities for the students within the district, such as offering a wider selection of advanced placement classes.
Carroto said members of the group, known as Team MERG, want to work with the district and do not wish to be adversarial.
“We will not go away, nor will we be silent. We appreciate the opportunity to be heard and look forward to rolling up our sleeves to work together to find the best possible solutions,” Carroto said.
Teresa Speicher, anther member of Team MERG, said the district had tax increases in the last two years, while services within the district were cut.
“I would hate to see a large tax increase and more services cut,” Speicher said. She said the district needs to focus on the children and start moving forward with a plan.
“We had a huge city and now we are even smaller. We were a great town, but smaller isn’t always better, especially when you see we aren’t getting the services that similarly situated students are in neighboring districts,” Speicher said.
Donna Fantuzzi, board president, said a merger is a topic under discussion. “We’re not blinded by what’s going on here,” she said. She said members of the board met with officials of the former Monaca School District, which merged with the Center Area School District in 2009, on November 14 to gain information on what is involved in the process of merging.
Fantuzzi said an advisory committee meeting will be held at 5 p.m. Feb. 15 at the elementary center cafeteria and encouraged the public to further discuss the ideas and concerns within the district.
Superintendent Dr. Leanne Spazak said the board would not approve a final budget with a 52 percent increase. She explained the increase was included in the preliminary budget in order to balance it based on the information currently available, until more information is received from the state. However, in regard to a merger, Spazak questioned whether another district would be willing to take on Monessen’s debt.
Spazak said the district offers a quality education and provides students with many opportunities. Spazak said enrollment has decreased 7 percent over the last five years.
“Most districts around here have had decreases,” Spazak said, adding that a decrease in the state’s population could be playing a role.