Upper St. Clair School Board adopts budget with 2 percent tax increase
Upper St. Clair School Board adopted the district’s 2019-20 final budget, totaling $85,642,128, during the board’s June 19 meeting.
The budget includes a 2 percent real estate tax increase of 0.5172 mills, resulting in a new rate of 26.3775 mills. The annual impact of the increase on a home with an assessed value of $250,000 is $129.24.
Throughout the budgeting process, the administrative team and school board worked with the theme “Investing in Excellence” as they focused heavily on the goals and objectives of the district’s 2015-20 Strategic Plan.
“The ‘Investing in Excellence’ theme provided a shared framework that enabled us to prioritize projects and allocate resources appropriately,” Superintendent John Rozzo said. “As a result, this budget effectively supports the district’s strategic objectives.”
With a 2 percent millage increase, Upper St. Clair falls below the maximum 2.3 percent inflationary index established by the Pennsylvania Department of Education under Act 1 of 2006.
“We remain steadfast in our commitment to balancing the needs of our students while being responsible stewards of taxpayer monies,” Rozzo said. “We are proud to present a balanced budget with the lowest year-to-year percentage increase in seven years.”
In addition to typical increases in salaries, benefits and health care, the district’s 2019-20 budget was impacted by nearly $400,000 in mandated increases to the Public School Employees Retirement System and more than $200,000 in additional charter and cyber charter school tuition.
The district is investing an additional $800,000 to further its safety, security and student wellness initiatives. Also, nearly $400,000 in capital funding has been allocated for several maintenance projects throughout the district that include electrical, plumbing and other maintenance items.
The 2019-20 final budget is available at www.uscsd.k12.pa.us/Page/12561 and at the district’s central offices.