School officials pleased by Wolf budget proposal

Gov. Wolf's proposal Tuesday for a historic increase in state education spending was received like a Christmas bonus in March by school officials in the region, and they said they were especially pleased about what it might mean for property owners - lower taxes.

Some said the governor's proposal to boost state education aid for every district, and by more than $500 million, could spare them painful decisions to increase local taxes to pay for rising worker pensions and other fixed costs.

In recent years, almost every district has raised real estate taxes, which constitute the bulk of local tax bills.

"If we can get adequate state funding, we can absolutely reduce the contributions that people make. . . . That's what we've been saying all along," said Lawrence Mussoline, superintendent of the Downingtown Area School District, which expects Wolf to follow up his budget address with a visit to its STEM Academy Wednesday morning.

"The commonwealth over the past couple of years said it's not going to increase taxes," he said. "If you don't increase taxes at the state level, you're only going to push the burden to the local level. It's a simple shell game."

Schools would see as much as a 15 percent boost under Wolf's plan, with poorer districts getting the biggest boost. The Bensalem, Kennett Consolidated, Phoenixville, Coatesville Area, Philadelphia, Chester Upland, and Norristown Area School Districts also would get double-digit increases, up to near 15 percent.

On the other end, the Bryn Athyn, Council Rock, Jenkintown, Palisades, New Hope-Solebury, Upper Dublin, Lower Moreland, Colonial, Tredyffrin/Easttown, Radnor Township, and Centennial School Districts would get under less than a 4 percent increase in funding.

Property tax reductions would range from a low of 15.8 percent for New Hope-Solebury to 152.3 percent for Chester Upland.

The West Chester Area School District would get an additional $1.2 million in funding and see property taxes reduced an average of 17 percent, said Superintendent James Scanlon.

For districts such as Bristol Township in Bucks County, which has raised taxes in each of the last five years, the proposal would "relieve some of the local tax efforts," said Superintendent Sam Lee.

Lee and others cheered the governor's call for a "fair and equitable" funding formula that would increase the state's contribution to more than 50 percent and provide more funds for every district in the state.

"It's no secret that Pennsylvania invests less than most states in public education," Lee said.

After five years of squeezing every penny, including painful layoffs or program cuts because of Harrisburg's budget woes, the governor's pledge of higher aid, coupled with property-tax relief, felt like a gift to beleaguered superintendents, but came with an enormous caveat. It's unclear whether Republicans who control both houses of the legislature will sign off on any of the new Democratic governor's bold proposals.

"It's certainly a better message than we've heard from Harrisburg in four years, but I'm also pragmatic," said Lee. "But the fact that education is at the forefront of this conversation is really, really, truly encouraging."

Since 2011, over 90 percent of the state's districts have raised taxes, according to Randy Albright, the state budget secretary. In the four-county region, 62 of 66 districts, or 94 percent, have raised taxes in that period, and 56 of those have had two or more.

The Ridley School District has seen tax hikes in each of those years, and pays close to 75 percent of the cost to educate its students. The governor's promise to increase state aid "would give local taxpayers welcome relief," said Superintendent Lee Ann Wentzel.

Even better, she said, is the plan for a "dedicated funding stream that will support a real funding formula that equitably distributes money to school districts in Pennsylvania. We can't keep going election to election in the budget process."

The district has reached a "tipping point" and could see some significant program cuts this year if it doesn't get more state aid, Wentzel said.

Pennsylvania ranks 45th in state support for public schools, and 93 percent of school districts have cut teachers and support staff since 2011 as a result of unprecedented funding cuts, according to the Pennsylvania State Education Association.

For the state's teachers, the proposal "shows that our state can reverse the school funding cuts that have put our schools in crisis at the same time that we make our tax system fairer for working Pennsylvanians," said Mike Crossey, president of the PSEA.

Donna Cooper, executive director of Public Citizens for Children and Youth, called the plan a "win for kids and a win for taxpayers.

"If the legislature were to adopt this," she said, people in the Philadelphia region "would benefit from a billion dollars in less property taxes."

She also applauded the increase in early-childhood education spending, which would result in twice as many kids in early learning programs, one of PCCY's key initiatives.

The proposal "really reflected what the voters wanted," she said.

Whether it reflects what Republicans want remains to be seen. How much comes to fruition "is the magic in it all," said Downingtown's Mussoline.

"Let the governor have the spotlight today," he added. "The proof will be in the pudding on July 1 when the budget is passed."