Radnor School Board Votes to Cap any Potential Tax Increase for 2011-2012

The Radnor Township School District Board voted to approve a preliminary $76 million budget for the 2011-2012 school year.  The vote Tuesday night means any tax increase in the final budget will not be higher than 1.4 percent.

The vote came after a spirited discussion among board members and public comments over whether or not a tax increase will be needed at all.

District administrators presented board members on Saturday with the possibility that the current school year could end with a budget surplus of $2.26 million. That projection led some board members to call for no tax increase at all for the 2011-2012 school year.

Board member Eric Zajac suggested that during the board's debate. "We learned on Saturday that we have a budgetary remainder of $2.2 million. Maybe one way of looking at that is we overtaxed the taxpayers and we give that back in the form of a zero percent tax increase," Zajac said.

Board member Lydia Solomon asked "do we want to maybe go above the one point four percent?' Solomon suggested there are many things she would like to see funded, including full day kindergarten.

Board President Patricia Booker said she would not want to see taxes raised higher than 1.4 percent. She also told board members "I need to get a better sense of what the community is looking for and I haven't got that yet."

Board members may get a more complete sense of public opinion at the board's next meeting on the budget. It is scheduled for 7 p.m. April 26 at the Radnor Township Administration Building.

The board could still vote not to raise taxes at all, but under Pennsylvania's Act 1 Tuesday night's vote approving a preliminary budget caps the maximum possible tax increase at 1.4 percent.

The board is slated to vote on a final budget at its regular meeting scheduled for May 24.

The public can see full details of the $76,676,837 preliminary budget that was approved Monday night on the school district's website.