North Hills School District taxes going up next year
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The North Hills school board has approved a tax increase to fund a nearly $88.3 million spending plan for the 2021-22 school year, district officials announced.
The 0.39 mill tax hike increases the rate used to calculate tax bills from 18.65 mills to 19.04 mills and is the seventh time in the past eight years that property owners have been asked to pay more to fund district operations.
The owner of a home valued at $135,000, which is the district average, will pay $2,570.40 – which is $52.65 more than this year.
The owner of a home valued at $200,000 will pay $78 more in property taxes next year.
The budget was approved by a 7-0 vote, with school director Kathy Reid abstaining. Board member Annette Giovengo Nolish was absent.
Last year the board ended a six-year run of hikes by freezing the tax rate.
Next year’s budget includes funding to hire four teachers, a school nurse and two school psychologists.
The four additional teachers are needed to cover increases in enrollment in certain grades so that class sizes can be maintained, district officials said.
Two school nurses retired last year but only one position was filled.
The psychologists are being hired to support the social, emotional and mental health needs of students, which has been a concern during the covid-19 pandemic, school officials said.
The district currently only has just two psychologists to serve more than 4,500 students. A ratio of one psychologist for every 1,000 students is recommended by mental health experts.
“As a district, we have heard, repeatedly, about the mental health needs of our students,” said board president Allison Mathis. “We currently have a deficit in this area, so let’s put some action and substance behind our words.”
School director Deanna Philpott thanked the board and administration for “supporting a budget that prioritizes the mental and physical health of our entire community.”
In addition to the revenue from the tax increase, next year’s budget is balanced with more than $1.174 million from the fund used to pay contributions to the state-run teacher pension plan.
Another $963,700, or about a third of the money available for the next three years, is being used from the federal American Rescue Plan Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief Fund.
The largest expense for the school district is salaries, which will cost about $39.7 million next year. Employee fringe benefits will add another $24.3 million to the payroll.
At $3.6 million, transportation also is a major expense for the district.
North Hills will pay out about $1.3 million for students enrolled in cyber or charter schools and another $1.1 million to cover the tuition for district students who must attend a specialized private school.
“We watch this money leave every single year (and) it’s very frustrating,” said board member Phil Little, who has called for the state to reform the system that requires districts to pay for students who enroll in cyber and charter schools.
Mathis said next year’s tax increase is needed to generate more revenue so the district can avoid cutting programs.
“The reality is, our expenses go up every year, so if we don’t want to start cutting or eliminating programs, which I do not, or increasing class sizes, which I do not, we need to generate more revenue to cover our expenses,” she said.
Mathis said the board will continue to seek other ways to raise revenue, including when and how property values are assessed in the district.
“We need to continue to invest in education,” she said.