Schools
Lower Merion School Budget Moves Ahead with 3.3% Tax Increase
Superintendent Chris McGinley said he doubted the budget would remain the same at its June 15 adoption, given what might lie ahead with state funding cuts.
Lower Merion's Board of School Directors moved unanimously ahead Monday night with a budget that uses a 3.3 percent tax increase to help bridge the $3.1 million gap between this year's expenses and the projection for 2011-2012.
More than in any recent year, Superintendent Chris McGinley expects the $204 million ledger to change before the scheduled June 15 adoption, he said just before Monday's hourlong meeting ended.
Lower Merion School District expects to lose as much as $1.4 million in state funding, but with Gov. Tom Corbett's budget still just a proposal, districts cannot plan precisely.
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About $1.5 million of the proposed increase in expenses would be from employee benefits; more than $1.2 million in added salary and a bit more than $400,000 extra in other expenses make up the rest.
The owner of a home assessed at $250,000—the district's median value—would see a tax bill of $5,757 next year, up $185 from this year's $5,572, district officials said.
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