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Without a tax increase, New Kensington-Arnold School District is looking at a $1.5 million budget deficit for next school year that would force it to empty its reserves.
The school board’s finance committee met virtually Monday to review the district’s proposed final 2021-22 budget. It would spend $38.7 million on $37.2 million of revenue. Although the school board has approved asking the state for permission to potentially increase its property tax rate by more than its 4.4% limit, Business Manager Jeff McVey presented a proposed final budget to the committee that includes no tax increase.
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The New Kensington-Arnold School District is going forward with a preliminary 2021-22 budget carrying a 6.8% property tax increase despite Gov. Tom Wolf’s budget proposal that boost funding for public schools.
Wolf released his budget proposal Tuesday. It contains nearly $2 billion extra for schools a more than 20% increase paid for with an increase in the state’s personal income tax rate.
New Kensington-Arnold’s preliminary budget, which the school board approved Tuesday night, still carries a 6-mill property tax increase. The board authorized business Manager Jeff McVey to ask the state to allow the district to increase the tax rate by more than its state-imposed inflation limit of 4.4% without voter approval.
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New Kensington-Arnold School District’s financial picture for the coming school year looks “bleak,” with officials considering raising taxes and burning through the district’s reserves but still facing a deficit, according to Acting Superintendent Jon Banko.
“We’ve been about as fiscally responsible as we possibly could be,” Banko said. “We closed two schools, we’ve reduced our faculty, we’ve done a lot of things to keep the budget under control.”
Property owners in New Kensington-Arnold could see their school property taxes go up nearly 7% for next school year.
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New Kensington-Arnold School District students will return to school buildings Jan. 14, but the district will use a hybrid instruction model and break students into two groups.
The district started the school year with students either fully in schools or fully online.
“We’ve had a hybrid model as part of our instructional options all along, but always felt that providing the maximum amount of face-to-face instruction is best,” acting Superintendent Jon Banko said.
“There are still a lot of concerns surrounding operations during the pandemic, and, as an administrative team, we felt that we would best be able to manage safety concerns with fewer students. We know that we need to get kids into classrooms, in front of their teachers and around their peers, and we felt that this is the best option for considering all circumstances.”
Tribune-Review
Kristina Serafini | Tribune-Review
Julia Felton | Tribune-Review
Eric Trump made a surprise visit to Oakmont Bakery, where President Trump was leading in the bakery’s traditional cookie poll.
Julia Felton | Tribune-Review
Eric Trump made a surprise visit to Oakmont Bakery, where President Trump was leading in the bakery’s traditional cookie poll.
Louis B. Ruediger | Tribune-Review
Oklahoma/Vandergrift paramedic Hayden Geisweidt works with a patient while transporting her to the hospital during a shift in February.
Courtesy of Todd Barbiaux
Todd Barbiaux with his grandson, Carter Brown, then 4, visited the garage where the four stainless steel Fords in ATI’s possession were kept at the Hot Rolling and Processing Facility in Harrison in December 2019. Three of the cars were taken to Indiana in September and sold at auction.