May 16, 2016 By Harry Funk 2 min read

The amount of the projected Mt. Lebanon School District real estate tax increase continues to shrink.

During their discussion meeting Monday, board members reached a consensus to support a .38-mill increase for 2016-17. The board will vote on the measure in conjunction with the adoption of a final $95.2 million budget on May 23.

As of April, district officials anticipated a .56-mill increase to balance revenues, including $750,000 from the district’s reserve fund, against expenditures. Since then, the revenue projections have risen to include a proposed 2.2 percent increase in state funding for basic education for next year and 2 percent more in special education for 2015-16.

The .38-mill figure represents the equivalent of Mt. Lebanon’s 2016-17 employee contribution, nearly $1 million, to the state Public School Employees’ Retirement System’s unfunded liability.

“Effectively, the administration is providing us with a budget which is effectively running on a zero-mill increase but for the increase we have in PSERS,” Lawrence Lebowitz, school board president, explained. He said .38 mills “would represent the lowest millage increase that we’ve had for the past five years.”

For an owner of property with an assessed value, the increase would represent an extra $76. Mt. Lebanon’s projection compares well with, say, neighboring Upper St. Clair School District, which has its property owners facing a potential rise of 1.3033 mills

Previous Mt. Lebanon budget discussions had addressed the possibility of not filling three positions that are being vacated because of attrition: a guidance counselor, campus manager and part-time athletic coordinator.

The amount of the proposed tax increase, though, precludes the necessity of eliminating the posts in balancing the budget.

In defense of retaining the positions, board member William Cooper spoke about the importance of guidance counselors.

“They often help teenagers get through the storm and stress of teenage life,” he said. “The suicide rate for teenagers has tripled in the last year. These kids need help.”

Elaine Cappucci, who is in her second four-year term on the board, also spoke against eliminating the positions while reviewing the process in arriving at the budget.

“We have, over the years I’ve been here, reduced the number of staff. We have reduced spending every single year,” she said. As for 2016-17: “I think we’ve looked at our options. I’m happy where we are.”