(Credit: Alexander Mils / Unsplash.com)
During the May 28 work session meeting of the Wissahickon School District Board of Directors, the 2024-25 school year budget was a top concern. The budget was included in the President’s Report, which contained 13 budget-related resolutions and authorizations.
“[The recommendations] are the exact same that we discussed; They’re actually the exact same that we discussed in the last budget workshop,” explained District Business Administrator Wade Coleman. “Pretty much, other than the numbers changing, these are the same motions that we would have every school year.”
Board President Amy Ginsburg asked Coleman to fully explain this year’s tax increase, so that all board members “just so everybody’s clear what they’re voting on.”
“The tax increase is 4.87%,” said Coleman. “It includes significant special education support, including PACE Assistance, speech, BCBA; there was the conversion of four individuals to assistant principals for the elementary school, and also the board supporting, which is tremendous, the continuing increase to the capital projects reserve by $200,000.”
While the full budget includes a wide variety of revenues and expenditures totaling $127,628,540, it was the increase in taxes that was the topic of much discussion.
“Those were some of the significant items that are contained within the first motion with the tax increase,” said Coleman. “The tax increase will continue to have us be the second-lowest in Montgomery County.”
Strings program to stay
Firstly, the president reiterated that the debated third grade strings program would, in fact, again be included in the coming year’s budget.
“That was something that was considered to be removed from the budget, but we have opted to continue that third-grade strings program, so that is remaining in there,” said Ginsburg.
“That is in the budget,” reassured Coleman.
New increase below permitted allowance
A previously mentioned increase of 5.3%, the state’s maximum allowed by law, was lowered to 4.87%. In addition to the outlined tax hike, the president’s report included renewing the coming year’s tax rebate programs, such as the homestead/farmstead acts, as well as rebate programs for seniors. These were programs, School Board Member Zeffy Karagiannakis wanted to be sure were publicized.
Rebate programs and publicity
“I know we talked a little bit about 7.4 [Homestead/Farmstead Exclusion] at our finance meeting, about how do we get more folks to appreciate and understand this program, and the benefit it has to our community,” said Karagiannakis. “Perhaps something that we could pull into a communications kind of effort, but I do feel like there might be some misnomers or misinformation about the value of such a program, and we should probably put some emphasis around that.”
Karagiannakis asked the same thing about agenda item 7.3, the “approval of Resolution W-5-24, 2023 Wissahickon Property Tax and Rebate Program to Certain Senior Citizens, Widows, Widowers and Disabled Persons with Fixed and Limited Incomes; Establishing Uniform Standards and Qualifications for Eligibility to Receive a Rebate.”
“Do we publicize that program? Heavily?” asked Karagiannakis. “Is this something that is well-known? Do we feel like people who would qualify for this are actually leveraging this program?”
Coleman noted that Beth Valario, assistant to the business administrator, who was present at the meeting, was the one that often fielded questions from the public.
“She's the one that actually goes through all the paperwork,” said Coleman. “She’s incredibly nice, and incredibly helpful, so even when there’s questions we work through whoever calls to make sure that they’re able to get the tax rebate.”
Coleman said that, once they hear about the potential rebates, they tend to spread the word to friends and family.
“Once having success, I think people talk about it more,” said Coleman. “Those people certainly apply for it year after year. I think we can always do a better job in the communications that we send out. We can always include a little blurb about it.”
The savings can be significant, according to Coleman.
“That [7.3] along with the Homestead/Farmstead exclusion you had mentioned trying to promote it, and I did look it up,” said Coleman. “One of the advertisements would be that the average Homestead is $476, so it certainly seems like an incentive to fill out the paperwork. It’s quite a bit of money, and it is available for all of the homesteads and the one farmstead that we have that applied, as well.”
Though there were multiple avenues for promotion, Coleman said the district could do more.
“In any case, I think that we can continue to do that,” said Coleman of the current promotions of these programs. “The tax collectors themselves are certainly aware of the programs, and include, normally on the back of the tax bill, a little promotion on the program, as well. Certainly, we’re trying, but we can always do more.”
The board noted that new ideas were always welcome.
“I think we probably, as a community, we can think about what can we do to help promote,” said Karagiannakis. “These are great programs, and it doesn’t harm anyone to use them. It actually helps everybody.”
Other board members asked about the frequency of applications.
“For the homestead/farmstead, it is a one-time application, and then it’s like for good, right? Or do you have to do it every year?” asked Board Member Deanne Morris.
“It is more-or-less permanent, I believe when a house sale occurs, I believe you have to reenact it, but while you’re there, I believe it continues,” Coleman said. “There could always be a change in law, but I don’t think you have to fill out the paperwork twice.
“But then for 7.3, for the senior citizens, they have to reapply every year to prove their income?” asked Morris.
“Right, because it is a series of hurdles, and they could change year-to-year, as opposed to the homestead, where the assumption is that you continue to own your home,” said Coleman.
Karagiannakis suggested perhaps having application forms at the library would help to reach a wider audience than district emails.
The culmination of many months’ work
“This is the result of several months of meetings,” said Ginsburg. “You can see Wade’s humongous binder there as he’s speaking. We have worked our way through that over several months. We’ve met for hours, and these are meetings that are open to the public, so anyone is welcome to come and listen in on these meetings as we discuss the budget in depth for weeks on end.”
“This is not something we just came up with,” she continued. “I want to make clear that we spend a significant amount of time working on this budget.”
“And that’s just answering board questions,” joked Coleman. “There’s a whole other one with my work.”
“Over the course of a many-month period, going back to when we were first presented with a preliminary budget for the next year, based on where the district was at, expected increases in expenditures, our continued enrollment growth, increased needs in special ed, a number of different things we wanted to do to continue further improve the educational offerings here at the district, so on and so forth, we were looking at a preliminary cut of the budget that was going to require a 5.3% tax increase,” said Board Vice Presidents Joe Antonio. “So over the course of five or six months, through many meetings as Amy referenced, we had a bunch of debates and discussions going back and forth, things that we could potentially cut in order to add some new things, and vice versa, and through that back and forth which included the preservation of the third grade strings program, which at one point we contemplated eliminating to make the budget numbers all work, we ended up at a number of 4.87%, which is a significant notch below the 5.3 that we started with, and in the end we were able to squeeze things down further.”
Antonio continued that, while no increase is ideal, the savings should be noted as a positive.
“No tax increase, obviously, is looked at favorably or as a positive thing, but in order to continue to invest in the quality of education in Wissahickon, and fund the initiatives and programs that we know are so needed by our school community,” he said. “I’m glad that we were able to come together, rather, on a school tax increase for next year that is a good bit below the maximum that was allowed to us by law.”
Difficult choices, open to the public
“I agree with everything [Antonio] just said. But, it’s important to recognize that this is a high tax increase,” said Morris. “None of us necessarily wanted it that high. I think we all would have preferred lower, as we’re taxpayers ourselves in this district. But I think it’s important to recognize that costs have increased across the board, and the school district is no different. I think you can look at this number and say ‘how dare the school board raise the taxes this much.’ Well, when you’re going to look at other districts you’re going to see similar numbers, I think, across the board.”
Morris welcomed those that did not understand why such increases had to be made to attend more meetings to be privy to the decision-making process.
“Like you said, it was months of discussion and work, and if anyone has an issue with it, I would encourage them to come to our budget sessions next year because I think it’s important to hear what the school needs and how we arrive at that number,” said Morris. “Once you’re sitting in those meetings, it becomes much more clear what is needed. I just think that’s an important perspective to have.”
Passing the official budget
With the details ironed out, and the newly lowered tax increase rate now announced, the directors hope to vote on the budget in their next meeting.
The Board will vote on the budget at its next meeting, Monday, June 3 at 7 p.m. Public participation at a public meeting can be either in-person in the Board Room, located at the District Administration Office, 601 Knight Road, Ambler, or via remote connection using the Zoom virtual meeting platform or on the District's YouTube Channel.
To view the meeting virtually via Zoom, the webinar invite is published on the School Board Calendar a few days before the meeting. There is no cost to use Zoom as an attendee. You may access the specific details for each Zoom meeting by clicking on the event on the School Board Calendar.
