The Butler Area School Board will not petition the state to be able to raise taxes above the state index for the upcoming school year.
Director of Business Services Deborah Brandstetter provided the board during a meeting Monday with her final preliminary 2017-18 budget draft before the 6-3 vote in favor of a resolution not to seek an exemption.
The draft includes the maximum 3.2 mill tax increase allowed under the current state index. The draft also includes an estimated $5 million deficit which would drastically lower the district’s general fund.
A vote against the resolution would not have meant that the district would have raised taxes above the index, it would just have meant they wanted permission to consider that option.
Exemptions as a result of special education and retirement costs would have allowed the district to go up to a 4.2 mil maximum increase which would have permitted the district to collect about $2 million more than they have during the current year.
Written By: Ryan Saeler for the Butler Radio Network
