Radnor School District Taxes

August 31, 2013. Perhaps you already know but this is an important day for everyone who pays taxes in Radnor. That is because it is the deadline for the first school tax installment or if paying in full, it is the last day taxpayers can take advantage of the 2% discount.

Whether or not you pay your taxes directly to the School Distinct or the taxes are held in escrow by the Bank, for most people, their school taxes represent one of the largest expenditures they will have during the year.

So this year, taxpayers will be initially pleased by a very modest tax reduction of approximately $32 (0.5%) on average per residence. At face value, that is a good thing and Democrats quickly trumpeted it as the first tax reduction in 30 years. Perhaps that is true but fiscal discipline and transparency are not part of the skill sets of these Democrats so, as usual, a little more context is necessary

1. The initial budget proposal was for no tax reduction at all. It was only after prodding by Ms. Booker, Ms. Michaelson, Mr. Madden, and several concerned and informed citizens that a tax reduction was considered at all.
2. And why even consider a tax reduction? That is because last year, largely led by Mr. Armstrong, the board voted for a 3.21% tax increase that proved to be entirely unnecessary after the School District generated an unplanned $4,000,000 surplus for the year that ended one month later.  The surplus for the most recent year has not been reported yet but there will certainly be another substantial surplus.
3. Ms. Booker, Ms. Michaelson and Mr. Madden provided thoughtful, data-rich presentations for why a larger tax decrease was warranted. This Board, under the leadership of the Democratic Board members, has voted in favor of tax increases over the last three years that have resulted in surpluses of $14,000,000. The Booker/Michaelson budget would have given a small part of this back to Radnor taxpayers and made it less likely that the next three years would have resulted in another $14,000,000 in surpluses.
4. Last year, the Board increased spending by $9,500,000 (11.7%). No one suggested a single program that would be cut or threatened by the Booker/Michaelson budget, and it would be hard to imagine given last year’s increase in spending.
5. The approved budget proposed by Mr. Armstrong and supported by Ms. Solomon includes $765,000 in funds that the district has no plan to actually spend during the budget year. The Booker/Michaelson proposal, in the interest of transparency and honesty, would have removed that from the budget.

6.     The School District already has an $18,600,000 fund balance. That will                 increase again this year after the surplus is reported. 

The stark reality is that despite claiming fiscal responsibility and transparency, this board, under the current Democratic leadership, has overtaxed Radnor residents and, when faced with the resulting unplanned surpluses, has retroactively scrambled to look for ways to spend the money. This does a disservice to all constituents: the children, the teachers, the staff, and Radnor taxpayers.

Everyone in Radnor has a stake in the success of our schools. We all want strong schools staffed by the best teachers and quality administrators delivering an excellent education to our children. But we also can reasonably expect that this be done in a fiscally responsible manner and we have every right to expect that our elected officials will be good stewards of our hard earned dollars. So, as you pay your taxes this year, consider how much better you would feel if the Booker/Michaelson budget, resulting in a $252 reduction on average per residence, had been adopted.