Woodland Hills district makes historic effort to cut property taxes

Homeowners in the Woodland Hills School District will get a break on their property taxes under a preliminary budget approved on Wednesday.

The school board voted 8-1 to approve a 0.5 mil reduction on their tax bill for the 2023-2024 school year.

Woodland Hills says its the first tax cut in the 41-year history of the school district. The district’s millage rate was 26.99 in the 2022-23 school year.

The 0.5 mil tax reduction represents a savings of about $80 per $100,000 of assessed value on an average home in the district.

The money is coming from the district’s fund balance, according to board president Carlton Scott.

The preliminary budget includes staff cuts to handle overstaffing and a projected budget deficit.

Several positions will be eliminated through a combination of early retirements, restructuring or furloughs.

Scott said the district has seen enrollment decline over the last 10 years. An audit showed some areas where the schools were overstaffed.

The district also received covid-19 relief funding, which was used to bring back about 70 positions that were cut in 2019 as well as create some new jobs. That funding is now set to expire at the end of the 2023-24 school year. In a letter dated April 5, Superintendent Daniel Castagna said many schools used the money to maintain current positions while adding support staff.

Castagna said the district moved some of those positions into from temporary funding into the general fund “so that we can keep the necessary supports after the grant money has expired.”

“Unfortunately, it is impossible to save all positions,” Castagna wrote. “This forced serious deliberations around what the district could maintain and what had to be eliminated. These final decisions, while never easy, are necessary to balance resources with needs.”

Overall, the preliminary budget maintains funding for its K-12 STEAM program, its music program, honors and Advanced Placement courses, and other critical academic programs and personnel, according to the board.

“Our plan is to continue to provide this relief,” Castagna said. “We’re trying to chip away at something that has been a major problem for our families, has pushed some residents away, or kept others from moving in.”

The final budget will be voted on in a few months.

Woodland Hills is in eastern Allegheny County and covers 12 boroughs: Braddock, Braddock Hills, Chalfant, Churchill, East Pittsburgh, Edgewood, Forest Hills, North Braddock, Rankin, Swissvale, Turtle Creek and Wilkins Township. It serves about 3,500 students a year.

Board president Carlton Scott credited the hiring of Castagna and Business Manager Jill Regan in 2022 with help making the move.

“Their expertise in all areas of the district along with the board’s vision related to student achievement and growth are what led to the intentional decisions that are found within this current budget proposal and have put us in a position to give back to the taxpayers that support our district,” Scott said.