Proposed North Hills School District 2025-26 budget carries no property tax increase

Property owners in the North Hills School District would not pay any more in property taxes under the district’s proposed $100.12 million budget for the 2025-26 school year.

The school board unanimously approved the proposed spending plan on May 1. The board will take a final vote on the budget at its June 5 meeting.

The last public budget meeting will be held immediately following the May 15 school board meeting at the middle school. The board meeting begins at 6:15 p.m.

The district’s tax rate would remain at 20.37 mills. The rate had been increased by 3.4% for the current school year, from 19.7 mills.

A property at Ross’ median value of $134,600 would continue to pay about $2,742 in property taxes to the school district; a property in West View at the borough’s median value of $98,200 would still pay about $2,000 for the year.

For the 2025-26 school year, the district was capable of increasing the property tax rate by up to 4.7% under its state-imposed inflation limit.

“We really wanted to come away with no tax increase this year,” said Samantha Ellwood, school director and finance committee chair. “We know that people have faced significant tax increases outside of the school district, and we want to be good stewards of the work we are elected to do.”

Board President Allison Mathis noted that Allegheny County and Ross had each increased property taxes.

“Multiple tax increases on our community are stressful,” she said. “Furthermore, the county increase does not benefit school district revenue because it was not generated from a property reassessment. Had the property tax increase from the county come from a reassessment, local school districts would have benefited as well.”

The district’s spending is up a fraction, 0.14%, over its $99.98 million budget for the 2024-25 school year.

The budget includes funding for a new certified school nurse and replacing 3,600 iPads for students in kindergarten through eighth grade.

While the district spent $1 million to replace its network infrastructure in the current year’s budget, there are no similarly large expenditures in the proposed 2025-26 budget, according to Finance Director Jerry Muth. Also, expenses for information technology equipment and instructional materials paid for with pandemic relief funding over the past three years are not included in next year’s budget.

Funding for vacant support positions that were included in the current year’s budget have been removed from the 2025-26 budget, saving $532,000, according to the district.

Proceeds from the sale of old iPads, a transfer from the debt service fund and a reduction in a transfer to the capital projects fund amount to $2.8 million, about the same amount a maximum 4.7% property tax increase would generate, according to the district.

The proposed budget is available for public inspection from 8 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. weekdays at the district’s administration building, 135 Sixth Ave., Ross. It can also be viewed online.